There's more to talk about than Nick Saban

TUSCALOOSA — Let's say you're Joe Average fan. You tune into ESPN on Saturday morning at around 9 to catch "College GameDay" from Tuscaloosa.

What are you hoping to hear the hosts talk about?

Well, they'll probably start by discussing first-year coach Nick Saban. After all, he is probably the main reason that the show will be live from Tuscaloosa for the first time since 2005.

But in Alabama, we've all heard enough about Saban and how he is going to resurrect the CrimsonTide program.

Here are some issues that, if I were on the show, I would talk about regarding Alabama heading into Saturday's 6:45 p.m. game against Georgia.

Victory hangover: Alabama won a tight, emotional game against Arkansas last week.

Saban said he has a 24-hour celebration rule, but you have to wonder if it has lasted a little longer this week. The players seemed as if they were in a more jovial mood Monday when they were addressing reporters.

Winning gives you a better attitude and more peace of mind, but the Tide had a hungry look following its wins against Vanderbilt and Western Carolina, like it still hadn't proved anything yet.

This week, it seemed like Alabama had lost that us-against-the-world mentality.

But hey, maybe it didn't. That's why they play the games on Saturday.

Also, Saban didn't win a national championship by not getting his team prepared after big wins.

Physical recovery: The Crimson Tide walked off the field after beating Arkansas as a group that was hurting.

Linebacker Darren Mustin has given Alabama its most consistent defensive performance, but he is questionable this week with an injured shoulder. Receiver DJ Hall probably will play, but he has a strained quadriceps muscles.

On top of the injuries, Alabama has to come back and play another SEC opponent one week after dealing with 33 carries and 195 rushing yards from brusing Arkansas running back Darren McFadden.

Keep in mind that McFadden did not lose a yard on any of his carries.

Alabama's offense: Lost in the excitement over Saban is the reinvention of the Tide's offense under coordinator Major Applewhite.

Granted, Alabama hasn't played any of the nation's top defenses, but the Tide has shown more ability in throwing down field and keeping opposing teams on edge.

Against Arkansas, in the first half, it seemed that on almost every play, quarterback John Parker Wilson looked downfield to Hall.

More importantly, the Tide has changed its offensive strategy in every game to keep its opponent guessing.

Look at the defining drives of its last two games. Against Vanderbilt, Alabama had a 10-play 86-yard drive that featured nine running plays.

Then in its win over Arkansas, the Tide used short, precision passing in its 73-yard game-winning drive. It seems like this offense can hurt other teams in a lot of different ways.

Spy games: This seems to be the topic du jour at all levels of football. Georgia coach Mark Richt didn't really help matters by closing his practice this week for the first time in seven years as the Bulldogs' head coach.

The biggest issue is probably in the non-story — that Saban once worked under Bill Belichick, who was fined $500,000 in the NFL spy scandal recently. Just because Saban was an assistant under Belichick from 1991-94 with the Browns doesn't mean that he cheated.

Remember the size of video cameras back then? No way you could get those on the sidelines without being noticed.

Small steps: Every week, Alabama seems to take a step up. This week, Georgia provides a new challenge with its balanced attack and consistency of success. Georgia is tied with LSU for the most wins in the SEC (55) over the past six seasons. Alabama wouldn't mind having that record.

Georgia at Alabama

Saturday
6:45 p.m.
ESPN