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GAME NOTES: The third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide appear to be legitimate national title contenders, and they will attempt to avoid an upset in an SEC clash with the Kentucky Wildcats.

Last weekend, Alabama opened SEC play in style with a 35-7 thrashing of Arkansas. The Crimson Tide are now a perfect 4-0, and their signature win to date came over Virginia Tech in the opener by a 34-24 final. Remember that Nick Saban's club went undefeated during the regular season last year, but losses in the SEC title game and an ensuing bowl appearance put a damper on an otherwise magical campaign.

Kentucky won its first two games of the 2009 season, and some thought the squad was capable of putting up a fight against top-ranked Florida last weekend. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they were clearly outclassed in a 41-7 beating at the hands of the Gators. That setback marked the SEC opener for coach Rich Brooks' team, which cannot afford an 0-2 start in the nation's elite conference.

Alabama owns a commanding 34-2-1 series advantage over Kentucky, which includes four straight wins over the Wildcats.

Alabama is averaging 40.5 points and 490.5 total yards per contest, huge numbers for a team that likes to control the tempo with a physical ground attack. The Crimson Tide are gaining 234.2 rushing ypg at a clip of 5.3 yards per carry, and they have scored 13 touchdowns on the ground. Mark Ingram leads the team with 347 rushing yards, and he has four rushing scores to his credit. However, there are plenty of capable ball carriers in the fold, so Ingram doesn't have to carry the load alone.

The biggest surprise to many followers of Alabama football thus far has been the play of quarterback Greg McElroy, who has completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 938 yards and seven touchdowns with only one interception. McElroy, a first-year starter, has some solid weapons at receiver, although Ingram does lead the club with 13 catches and three receiving scores.

McElroy was sensational for Alabama in the victory over Arkansas last weekend, as he threw for a career-high 266 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Julio Jones had a 50-yard touchdown reception in the game, and the sophomore standout receiver has the potential to be as dominant a target on the outside as we have in college football. The fact that Alabama rushed for only 110 yards in the clash despite winning so easily was surprising.

"Being efficient is the best compliment you can have as a quarterback," said McElroy after the win. "The more you take what they give you, the more efficient you become. That's a tribute to the play calling and your decision making."

It can certainly be argued with validity that Alabama is the best defensive football team in the nation. The Tide are yielding a mere 13.0 ppg and 202.5 total ypg. They have been superb against the run, permitting a meager 47.2 ypg and 1.7 yards per attempt. Opposing quarterbacks have completed fewer than 50 percent of their passes against 'Bama, which makes up for a low total of four takeaways with 13 sacks. Also, the Tide can take pride in the fact that opponents are making good on only 26 percent of their third down conversion attempts.

Rolando McClain was expected to be one of the best defenders for Alabama this season, and that has certainly been the case, as he has made 23 total stops, including 4.5 TFLs and two sacks. Javier Arenas has three sacks to his credit, as the kick return specialist is a weapon as a blitzer from his defensive back position.

Arkansas has been an explosive offensive team this season, so the fact that Alabama limited the Razorbacks to 203 total yards and seven points last weekend is a reason for Saban and his team to be quite proud. With 43 rushing yards on 22 attempts, Arkansas became the latest team to find out just how good the run defense of the Tide really is.

"We knew they had a finesse offense and we just tried to mess up some of their routes," said McClain after dominating the Arkansas offense. "We wanted to mess up their timing and get to their quarterback. I think our defense did a pretty good job."

Kentucky entered last weekend's game with Florida boasting tremendous offensive statistics, but the club's numbers took a major hit after the seven- point showing. Still, the Wildcats are generating 26.7 ppg and 337.7 total ypg, solid numbers for an offense with some notable weapons. Mike Hartline is the team's quarterback, and he has completed 62.2 percent of his throws for 485 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions thus far. Randall Cobb, a converted quarterback, paces the club with 18 catches for 191 yards and two touchdowns, while Derrick Locke has rushed for 169 yards and two scores. Locke, a dangerous kick returner, has big-time speed.

The Wildcats finished with 179 total yards against Florida last weekend, and aside from a two-yard touchdown pass from Hartline to Ross Bogue in the second quarter, there really wasn't much to cheer about. Hartline only completed 13- of-28 passes for 85 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, while both Locke and Cobb were surprisingly quiet against the defending national champs.

"I didn't think we had a bad practice last week for Florida," said Hartline. "I thought we had a good game plan. We knew what we were doing we just have to do it faster and harder. There is game time speed and SEC speed and we just have to pick it up."

Since shutting out Miami-Ohio in the season opener, Kentucky has struggled a bit defensively. After three games, the team is yielding 22.7 ppg and 353.7 total ypg, including 185.7 rushing ypg on an average of 4.9 yards per attempt. The pass defense has been weak at times as well, and opposing quarterbacks are gaining 13.6 yards per completion against the Wildcats.

Aside from a fierce hit on Florida quarterback Tim Tebow that has been shown on every national sports highlight show, the Kentucky defense played poorly against the Gators. The Wildcats allowed 495 yards and four touchdowns to one of the nation's truly elite offenses. Florida controlled the game on the ground, rushing for 362 yards on 52 carries against a helpless Kentucky defensive front.

"I am embarrassed by the way we played," said coach Brooks after the ugly loss. "I felt like I had never coached a down in my life the way we came out in that first 15 minutes at home, it just didn't make much sense."

Florida was superior to Kentucky last weekend, and the Wildcats will be outclassed again by Alabama. Strong defense and a balanced offense will lead the Tide to an easy win over the Wildcats, who are facing back-to-back top- five teams for the first time in program history.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Alabama 34, Kentucky 13