Alabama Vs. Michigan: Crimson Tide Keep Rolling

Nick Saban's crew didn't miss a beat as they unveiled several new stars and began their national title defense with a 41-14 drubbing of the over matched Wolverines.

Alabama Vs. Michigan 2012: Final Score And Game Recap

No. 2 Alabama easily dispatched No. 8 Michigan, 41-14, on Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium in a dominant statement win for the SEC powerhouse.

The Crimson Tide dominated the Wolverines physically, holding Heisman-hopeful Denard Robinson to just 27 yards on 10 carries and picking off the quarterback twice -- including a 16-yard interception return for a touchdown by C.J. Mosley.

Alabama rushed out to a 31-0 lead in the first half before Michigan would get on the board with a 6-yard run by Robinson, who would also pass for a touchdown in the second half when the game was well out of reach. Robinson would finish 11-of-26 through the air for 200 yards and two interceptions.

Alabama QB A.J. McCarron, meanwhile, was 11-of-21 for 199 yards and two touchdowns in his first game without running back Trent Richardson. T.J. Yeldon, however, seemed to pick up with Richardson had left off with 111 yards on 11 carries and one rushing touchdown.

For more on this game stay tuned to SB Nation Dallas, also head on over to Michigan blog Maize N Brew and SB Nation Detroit for everything on the Wolverines. Visit Roll 'Bama Roll for everything on the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Alabama Vs. Michigan: Wolverines Suspend Frank Clark, Fitzgerald Toussaint

Michigan Wolverines coach Brady Hoke announced on Friday that starting running back Fitzgerald Toussaint and backup defensive end Frank Clark had been suspended for one game and would not make the trip to Dallas for the team's season-opening matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Hoke said the decision to have the players sit out was in the best interest of the team:

"The decision was not easy, but I feel it is in the best interest of this program and for these kids, and those always will be my priorities. We have choices every day, and you have to be accountable to this program, your teammates, your family and the University of Michigan."

Toussaint will miss the season opener due to an incident in July in which he was pulled over and had a blood alcohol level of .12, and was charged with drunken driving. However, on Tuesday the redshirt junior pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of operating a vehicle while visibly impaired. Toussaint rushed for 1,041 yards and nine touchdowns last season.

Clark has been ruled out as he has been charged with second-degree felony home invasion.

For more on this game stay tuned to SB Nation Dallas, also head on over to Michigan blog Maize N Brew and SB Nation Detroit for everything on the Wolverines. Visit Roll 'Bama Roll for everything on the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The Nick Saban Formula At QB

While some programs shoot for the moon at QB, the Alabama coach has realized that it's not worth the risk for a top program filled with elite athletes on defense.

Michigan Vs. Alabama: Maize 'N Brew Previews The Game

The eyes of the college football world will be on Dallas, Texas, on Saturday night -- and Jerry Jones wouldn't have it any other way.

Cowboys Stadium will host the biggest game on the Week 1 slate, as the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide take on the No. 8 Michigan Wolverines in what should be an excellent game.

Maize 'n Brew, SB Nation's Wolverines blog, has a pretty comprehensive preview of the game -- from a Michigan perspective, of course.

Quarterback Denard Robinson and Michigan's offense will get to face off against Alabama's vaunted defense, and here's how the folks over at Maize 'n Brew see that matchup:

Michigan can gain the advantage in this matchup, but it is going to depend heavily on the Wolverines' ability to run the football. When Michigan can move the ball on the ground effectively (Neb '11, OSU '11) it creates a lot of short fields, which lead to first downs and openings in the passing game that Robinson can exploit. When Michigan's run game is bottled up (MSU '11, VT '12) it puts too large a burden on Robinson's shoulders and allows other teams to bring more pressure.

The Tide will still be a very good defense, but losing so many key players -- not only of the Make Plays variety, but more importantly the kinds of guys that lead the defense and deal with checks and stunts on the field -- will mean that Michigan won't be facing a perfect unit. There will be great defensive plays, but there will also be mistakes. Michigan will need to make good on those mistakes if it wants a chance to keep up on the scoreboard.

The outlook, though, isn't so great for when Alabama has the ball:

This is where things get ugly for Michigan. It all starts with the offensive line. Alabama is going to look to run the ball early and often, not taking the reins off McCarron in the passing game and instead allowing him to pick his spots and bring along the inexperienced receiver corp. On top of that, Michigan's coverage isn't overly susceptible, where the defensive line and small-ish linebacking corp will have their hands full. Look for Alabama to run for somewhere around 150 yards and 5.0 ypc. Yes, it'll be that bad.

Michigan's one hope is that when it is able to force the Tide into third-and-long situations, that the pass defense makes things hard enough on Alabama's young receiving corp that the Tide struggle to convert longer downs. With McCarron's development and ability to place the ball in a small window, this seems less and less likely.

The entire preview is well worth reading, so head over to Maize 'n Brew and check it out.

Michigan Vs. Alabama Preview: An SB Nation Roundtable

The biggest game of Week 1 is in Dallas, so we brought in a blogger from Michigan and one from Alabama to get the inside scoop on the two teams squaring off at Jerry World.