This Saturday, Alabama football will host Colorado State in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is the obvious favorite, and will most likely continue their winning streak from this 2017 season. This will be Alabama’s final non-conference game before SEC play.
The Crimson Tide
Alabama has started out their season on a positive winning streak. So far, the Crimson Tide are 2-0. They defeated Florida State 24-7 and Fresno State 41-10 with easy wins. After losing ten players to the NFL, Athlon’s Top-ranked team for the 2017 season wasn’t affected negatively. Alabama has plenty of players who have been waiting to step up.
As for the offense, Jalen Hurts will be the returning starting quarterback. Hurts has completed 14 of 18 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. There was still some doubt about the lack of downfield passing, due to the fact that only two of Hurts’ completions traveled more than 10 yards in the air, but Head Coach Nick Saban defended his quarterback.
Saban seems confident in his team going forward, but is also aware that this will be one of the most challenging games for them so far this season.
The Rams
The Colorado Rams are ranked number 58 in Athlon’s Top 130 for 2017. Last season, they finished 7-6, and this season has them at 2-1 so far.
Head Coach Mike Bobo referred to Alabama Football as “the most talented team that we’ve ever played.” Since 2007, Alabama has not lost to a single unranked opponent. Bobo has a positive outlook on the game, even though the odds are against them. His message to his team is “Who is the only team who gets to play the No. 1 team in the country this week? We do. We’re that football team. Let’s relish this opportunity, let’s prepare like we never have, let’s walk in there like we expect to play well because of our preparation and let’s go see what happens.”
Where and When to Watch
Date: Saturday, September 16th
Game Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Network: ESPN2