Tide Tidbits - September 29, 2008

Nick Saban has Alabama on the move after beating No. 3 Georgia
It's happening faster than anyone thought in Tuscaloosa. The Tide is the hot team of the moment and could be 9-0 by the time it visits defending national and SEC champion LSU on Nov. 8. Saban isn't ready to buy into the groundswell of emotional support for his program just yet. "If you want to drink the Kool-Aid . . . I know this ruins your guys' parade because that what's you want to write about and what you want to talk about," he said. "But, as a coach, I'm not interested in it. Can we finish this season? Can we play consistently?"

A Week of Upsets Shakes Up Top 25
The tremors from a foundation-shattering day of college football were reflected in the new Associated Press top 25 poll, and several of the teams that benefited from the aftershocks made their mark under the spotlight Saturday night. Alabama, which soundly defeated Georgia in Athens, climbed six spots to No. 2 and sits behind Oklahoma, which dismantled Texas Christian. Penn State also jumped six spots with a win over Illinois.

Quarterback John Parker Wilson 'totally different' player this season
In the wake of Saturday night's stirring victory at then-No. 3 Georgia, Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson got the personal question. Did he feel vindicated to play so well on such a large stage? "No. I mean, I don't care," Wilson replied with a chuckle. "It was a good game. We beat a good team. We beat a good defense. It is what it is. This is how we're capable of playing."

Nick Saban has Alabama on its way back to the top
We laughed when Mike DuBose admitted the affair with his secretary. We laughed when DuBose turned Alabama from team ranked No. 3 in the preseason into a team with a 3-8 record. We laughed when the NCAA came to town and pointed the barrel of the death-penalty gun at the Alabama cheaters. We laughed when Dennis Franchione dropped the rope and ran to Texas A&M. We laughed when Mike Price had his date with Destiny. We laughed when Mike Shula couldn’t beat Northern Illinois, much less Auburn. And we laughed when Alabama, the desperate bumpkins that they are, paid nomad mercenary Nick Saban $4 million dollars a year and then promptly lost to Louisiana-Monroe. We aren’t laughing now.

Polls shake up, and Bama should make you afraid. Very afraid.
If you're looking to anoint the winners of September, though, no other frontrunners look quite so well-adjusted as the surprises, the Tide and Lions. Alabama, especially, has not only dominated two top ten opponents on neutral and hostile turf. but put them away quickly, convincingly, precisely according to the template Nick Saban established for LSU's championship run in 2003: a steady, efficient, veteran quarterback, backed by a run-first philosophy and a committee of strong runners that eat up the clock; and more importantly, a dominant defensive line that takes away the running game immediately.

Roll Tide!