Paul Finebaum: Alabama's in a good spot

Alabama is fresh off of their most dominant performance in conference play so far this season after beating Mississippi State 40-17 on the road this past Saturday.

Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban was in prime form during the ball game following a slow start from his team, seen animated on the sideline yelling at players and coaches alike during the first half of the ballgame. And Saban’s antics lead to ESPN’s Matt Barrie asking college football analyst Paul Finebaum if all is well in Tuscaloosa ahead of one of their biggest games of the season.

“Everything’s fine right now and he even went to the Mrs. Terry playbook Matt saying Mrs. Terry told me to jump on them, you know Saban’s confident when he’s quoting Mrs. Terry,” Finebaum said.

Saban quoting his beloved wife could be a good sign for the Crimson Tide, which they could surely use following an uncharacteristically rocky start to the season.

The Crimson Tide suffered their first double-digit loss at home since 2003 against Texas in Week 2 of the season, then followed that with a bizarre 17-3 win over USF that was highlighted by disappointing quarterback play from the team’s current two backup quarterbacks that took every snap of the game.

Alabama has since put their full faith in quarterback Jalen Milroe to lead their offense, and it seems they’ve come a lot close to establishing a new identity as they head into a crucial game on the road against Texas A&M.

“I think Alabama’s in a good spot, it’s been three weeks since the Texas loss, they’ve corrected some problems,” Finebaum said. “They are not a vintage Alabama team, but they are still favored in this game by a slim margin.”

Alabama’s offense in recent history has been highlighted by an aerial passing attack, spearheaded by elite play at the quarterback and wide receiver positions. But this year it seems the team will go with more of a ground-and-pound approach, highlighting the dual-threat abilities of their signal caller.

Texas A&M has also gone in a different direction at quarterback, as a season-ending injury to Connor Weigman has thrust quarterback Max Johnson into the spotlight. Johnson has thrived, throwing for 333 yards and four touchdown passes in the Aggies’ last two games to make them the only team in the SEC West along with Alabama that also boasts an undefeated record in conference play so far this season.

“On the other side Texas A&M is playing with a backup quarterback and looking really good,” Finebaum said.

The stakes will be high in this weekend’s SEC West showdown, as Crimson Tide fans will truly find out if all is well in Tuscaloosa as Finebaum has prophesied.