Tide look to end on good note in Capital One Bowl

By Bud L. Ellis

It was not the path to perfection that led Alabama to the national championship one season ago. Instead, the Crimson Tide’s hopes of repeating as rulers of college football fell apart with three losses.

But even though the Tide didn’t even make it to the Southeastern Conference championship game, Alabama finds itself playing on New Year’s Day in the Capital One Bowl against Big Ten Conference co-champion Michigan State.

Alabama (9-3) will try to reach double-digits in victories for the third consecutive season. The stakes are not being as high as they were last season, when the Tide beat Texas for the national title, but the Tide come in with one of the top defenses in the nation and an offense that is 21st in scoring at 34.6 points per game.

The matchup pits two friends and former co-workers against each other in Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio and Alabama’s Nick Saban. Dantonio served as an assistant under Saban when Saban was Michigan State’s head coach from 1995-99. Dantonio suffered a heart attack during the season, but is back on the sidelines.

Alabama’s offense will revolve around last season’s Heisman Trophy winner, Mark Ingram, along with quarterback Greg McElory and standout wide receiver Julio Jones.

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Saturday, December 18, 2010 at 11:12 pm by bud

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Big Ten Conference, Capital One Bowl, Greg McElory, Julio Jones, Mark Dantonio, Mark Ingram, Michigan State Spartans news, Michigan State Spartans schedule, Michigan State Spartans tickets, Nick Saban, Southeastern Conference