Alabama 20, South Carolina 6

Alabama's defense played an outstanding game last night. Rolando McLain continues to show that he is one of the top players in college football. His leadership, his play-making, his decisions, and his vicious hits should put him on Heisman lists around the country. This defense has lost its second-best linebacker already in Hightower and played last night without their top defensive back (Arenas) and still dominated, even as its offense couldn't stay on the field for extended drives. A lot of credit needs to go to McLain for being the leader and the glue for this unit.

Nationally, Mark Ingram will get the most publicity for his play against South Carolina last night and he is very much deserving of it. He gained over 100 yards after contact; he looked to hit the defenders even after what looked to be a painful knee-injury, one that added many creases to my furrowed brow. He just kept running and churning, doing so behind an offensive line and wide receivers who put some licks of their own on the Gamecocks' defense. Though the Crimson Tide's offensive line couldn't seem to keep the pocket intact consistently, they did open holes that Mt. Cody could have gotten through with a date. From the looks Spurrier was giving on the sidelines, I expected his Carolina cap to quickly become a visor. Ingram, always humble and acknowledging of his teammates, stood out like that visor of yore, making the SC defense feel like SEC defenses did when Spurrier's aerial assault stormed through the conference in the 90s. Ingram's performance on Homecoming night was typical of his play all season: get stronger as the game progresses. It culminated with a six-play, Ingram-focused touchdown drive that finally took some pressure off the defense and created a fog in the stadium from the collective exhale of the 92,000 plus in attendance on a chilly night.

This win places Alabama in the number two spot in the first BCS rankings of the 2009 season. Florida is number one, but the margin between one and two is closer than that of two and three. It might serve Alabama well to lurk behind Florida over the next few weeks; Saban seems to get more out of his players when he can load multiple chips on the shoulders of his men. Hopefully, as they prepare for Tennessee this week, their practice time will help the offense regain its rhythm in the passing game; they're going to need it for a rested and improving Volunteer bunch. As tough as Ole Miss and South Carolina played the Tide, Monte Kifffin presents a bigger challenge schematically. Tennessee may not have the depth or experience that Bama's face the past two weeks, but their schemes may allow that weakness to be balanced out. Saban impressed me in his first season with how seriously he faced the Tennessee rivalry, using an onside kick to open the game and take away any hope the Vols entered Tuscaloosa with in that 2007 match-up; I think he'll have a few schemes of his own and hopefully a trick or two up his sleeve. Tennessee is in a no-lose situation coming into this game, making them possibly even more dangerous than South Carolina was this week. Unfortunately for them, entering Bryant-Denny is hazardous to a team, especially one whose offense has struggled on the road like the Vols have. Just ask those Gamecocks.