ESPN SEC Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

It's like rewinding to the 1970s. Alabama is undefeated, beating up on everybody physically and thinking national championship. Don't blink your eyes, because it's true. In just his second season of what appeared to be a pretty major rebuilding job, Alabama coach Nick Saban has the Crimson Tide (6-0, 3-0 SEC) in prime position to play in their first SEC championship game since 1999. They own a pair of wins over top 10 teams, including a 41-30 win at Georgia that was 31-0 at the half, and are doing it with a bunch of freshmen playing key roles and very little depth in spots.

Offensive MVP: Nobody (outside of the guys in that locker room) expected the Crimson Tide to be here, so let's go unconventional here. Not only is junior Andre Smith perhaps the best left offensive tackle in college football, but he's been the cornerstone of an offensive line that has punished people this season. He's been as dominant as an offensive lineman can be.

Defensive MVP: Now this is a tough one. Junior college transfer Terrence Cody, a 360-pound behemoth, has made a huge difference at nose tackle, but sophomore middle linebacker Rolando McClain gets the nod. He makes everybody else around him better with his performance, leadership and knowledge of the entire defense. He might be the SEC's overall MVP at this point.

What's next? As Saban himself would say, can the Tide finish the deal? It's right there in front of them. They get Ole Miss at home this Saturday, Tennessee on the road the following week and then the biggie -- LSU in Baton Rouge on Nov. 8. The key is staying healthy and not getting into situations where they're having to play from behind. This team doesn't seem to be built for that. Then again, how would we know? They've outscored their opponents in the first quarter this season by an astounding 88-0 margin.