Of course we Tennessee fans like to think that all Alabama fans do is talk about the past and the days of Bear Bryant instead of discussing their recent run of poor coaches and struggles of mediocrity. Nowadays, you’ll likely see more talk of the bright, hopeful future down in Tuscaloosa and an inevitable return to previous glory.

Entering year two under Nick Saban, it’s really hard to deny that he’s beginning to build a talent base that can make that return to national success. Possibly the nation’s best recruiting class in the country last year is now on campus in Tuscaloosa, and even after the disappointing finish to last year, last year’s 6-6 record is all but ignored.

After making the Tennessee coaching staff look completely foolish and incompetent, Bama was in the mix for the West with LSU coming to town two weeks later and went to the wire in the fourth quarter…

Not sure Alabama ever recovered from that series of plays. After a second-straight loss to Mississippi State, UL Monroe as we all know beat the Tide 21-14 and the Auburn won their sixth consecutive Iron Bowl. The Tide limped into Shreveport and salvaged the season beating Colorado.

To be honest, Alabama’s a bit of a mystery this year. The main question I have is how much of an impact will the new, highly-ranked recruiting class have this year? Some of the candidates whom could make big early impacts: WR Julio Jones, OL Tyler Love, JUCO DT Terrance Cody (who’s enormous), and LB Jerrell Harris.

Also, which John Parker Wilson will show up? He was excellent in torching Tennessee’s secondary, but also had this total gem…

Also, who’s he going to throw the ball to? D.J. Hall, Keith Brown, and Matt Caddell are all gone and that’s where Jones could make a big impact. The rest of the offense should be pretty solid, with a backfield of Terry Grant, Glen Coffee, and Roy Upchurch, running behind an experienced OL led by Andre Smith and Antoine Caldwell.

And here’s how Saban could counter the G-Gun and Gerald Jones (although Saban wasn’t there when Bama played in the ‘06 Independence Bowl): throw it to Andre Smith…

While the offense should be pretty good, there might be a few more questions on defense. In the 3-4 that Alabama runs, you obviously don’t need more than six defensive lineman, and Bama should be fine up front. The biggest loss is Wallace Gilberry, who struggled at times last year but still had 17 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

Linebacker might be a little different story, as the unfortunate issue with Ezekial Knight, the cocaine selling-induced dismissal of Jimmy Johns, and the three-game suspension of Prince Hall has left little around stud Rolando McClain. Much like Julio Jones, this could be where Jerrell Harris makes his mark.

The secondary loses Simeon Castille, but CB Kareem Jackson started 12 games as a true freshman and FS Rashad Johnson somewhat surprisingly led the Tide in tackles. With holes to fill there as well, there’s certain potential for freshman impact.

With the likely inexperience and youth – although talented – that Bama will likely have to use this year at some positions, having road games in Fayetteville, Athens, Knoxville, and Baton Rouge could be a little dicey. Throw in the opener against a talented Clemson team in Atlanta and the finale against Auburn, this year could be similar to last year.

Nevertheless, I wouldn’t write this team off. Although I don’t seem them seriously contending with Auburn and LSU for the West title, a bowl (Shreveport’s beautiful in late December…) and winning season would be a solid start. Truth be told, an upset or two isn’t a reach. Still, it’s probably another year before we can throw Bama in there with the two Tigers atop the division. Hey, I mean I guess talking about the future’s better than talking about the past…