Only One Happy Ending for Two Hopefuls Teams

PASADENA, Calif. -- Was that the end or the beginning?

Top-ranked Alabama put together its best and most complete game of the season in its 32-13 victory over then-No. 1 Florida in the SEC Championship last month. Following a 32-day layoff, many are wondering if the Crimson Tide (13-0) can come close to duplicating that effort in Thursday's BCS Championship against No. 2 Texas (13-0) in the Rose Bowl.

Nick Saban is one of those inquiring minds.

"That's probably the most complete game that we played all year against a very good team and, you know, when you beat a good team like that, it's one of two things," the Alabama head coach explained.

"Is that the end or is that the beginning? Hopefully, you learn what it takes to play that way and you can build on that in the next opportunity you have. That's the challenge we have with our players and whether they will do that and look at that as a starting point and how they can build on it rather than the end point and being satisfied with that."

The Longhorns, meanwhile, enter as an underdog for the first time this season and naysayers are wondering if they really deserve to be here following their glaring struggles in the Big 12 title game against Nebraska. Much also has been made about the difference between the programs, beginning with the head coaches, Mack Brown of Texas and Saban.

Both are engaging but in different ways. Brown is folksy, Saban is far more calculated. It's also easier for fans to see how Alabama would show up as a tough, nasty football team, while Texas would play with more finesse. That perception doesn't sit well with Brown, who chafes at the notion his program is soft as some analysts might suggest.

"This football team has won 26 of 27 and they're soft?" Brown said.

"Lord, I hope they can get tougher again [Thursday] night. I do think its perception. I smile. I shake hands. I laugh. I like for the kids to have fun. These kids are tough. They compete. Alabama's kids are tough. They're going to compete. You're not going to get a bad team in this game. You may get one in the BCS, you're not going to get one in this game.

"There's two good teams in this game."

If Texas wins, that would be Brown's second national title in the last five years and his fourth BCS bowl victory this decade. If Alabama wins, Saban would become the first coach in the AP poll era [since 1936] to win a national championship at two different schools -- both this decade. He also won one at LSU in 2003.

It would also be Alabama's first national title since 1992, not to mention the fourth consecutive title for an SEC school.

Will history play a role in this game?

The top-ranked teams haven't played well in recent national title games -- the No. 2 team has won the past four games over the No. 1 team and claimed six of the past seven games.

Plus, Heisman Trophy winners have struggled in these games, too, though Crimsom Tide running back Mark Ingram, this year's Heisman winner, refused to entertain any negative vibes.

Alabama, of course, boasts a record six members on the Associated Press' All-America team for those dazzled by honors.

The Crimson Tide's balance on offense could be the biggest difference in the game, though quarterback Greg McElroy must continue his strong play. He has thrown 87 consecutive passes without an interception dating back to the LSU game (Nov. 7). McElroy is 29-0 as a starting quarterback going back to high school.

"I expect myself to go out there and execute the plays that are called because in this game, if you make it bigger than it is, often times it will have a negative effect on you," said McElroy, who has 2,450 passing yards with 17 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

"As a player I just want to go out there and perform like every other game, go through my preparation, my checks, be on the same page with my wide outs and with [offensive coordinator] Coach [Jim] McElwain.

"Usually when we do that, we have a lot of success on the offense and score a lot of points."

Texas' hopes of an upset, meanwhile, rest in the hands of quarterback Colt McCoy, who will need to neutralize Alabama's defensive pressure with both his quick arm and quick feet.

Much also has been made of the comparisons between the SEC and Big 12, specifically pointing to the Longhorns' low scores in victories against Oklahoma and Nebraska. Such games in the SEC are commonplace.

"In my estimation in watching and listening, being an SEC guy from my past, the perception is that the football teams in the SEC are much better than the football teams in the Big 12," Brown said.

"Fair or not fair, perception is not always reality, but that doesn't mean that the SEC is not really good. It also doesn't mean that the perceptions are right about the Big 12. What we've had is we have not had as many good teams in the Big 12. We've had some great teams.

"And I think you look at the defenses at Oklahoma and you look at the defense at Nebraska, nobody ran up and down the field against either one of them. They've got really good players and a really good defense."

Alabama wants to prove its worth, too. And, fair or unfair, it must come in consecutive games over a month apart.

Was that the end or the beginning?

"I think you always want to build on what you did (previously)," said Saban, who further explained his team's preparation.

"It's a little bit like being in the batter's box before you've got to go up to the plate, two out in the bottom of the ninth and you've got to get a hit to win the game. What do you do? You go through the routine you always go through, which is what we are trying to accomplish with our players ... make them as same and simple as we can because the focus right now is on getting the best execution in the game."