... Tide wished it would be come January, 2011.

The hopes for the team were that the desert and a Fiesta Bowl national championship repeat was in store.

That was not to be this season. Yet, the game the Tide will play and the team it will face is no slouch, either. 

Enter the Michigan State Spartans, with a record of 11-1, and boasting a No. 7 ranking. The Spartans are looking for the perfect end to what has been described by their own coach as a 'Cinderella Season' by beating the defending national champions.

Thus, the game features two teams with opposite expectations going in to the season.

How will each team's season end?

This slide show will examine the various aspects of the Tide's game going into the...

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