Top-ranked Alabama football (8-0, 5-0 SEC) decapitated Arkansas (2-6, 0-5 SEC) 48-7 behind the stellar play of first-time starter Mac Jones. The Crimson Tide limps into a much-needed bye week before the enormous national showdown with second-ranked LSU.
Top teams Oklahoma and Wisconsin have fallen at the hands of unranked foes in the last two weeks. Complacency, unfocused, and maybe just not good enough quickly come to mind when you think of these pretenders.
There is a simple, valid reason Alabama football has won 89 straight games against unranked opponents.
Nick Saban.
Alabama played like a team worthy of the number one ranking. Granted, the team lined up on the opposite side is not very good, but Alabama focused on dominating their opponent and not playing to the scoreboard. Instead, they were enthralled with playing to the Alabama standard on every play.
On a day when the 2009 national championship team appeared before a raucous crowd at Bryant Denny Stadium, the Crimson Tide browbeat the Hogs by dropping 31 points in the first half. All three phases were clicking on all cylinders putting the game out of reach early moving their home winning streak to 31 games.