Alabama is Illinois now.
That’s Alabama’s unpleasant reality. I’m sure that’ll go over well in T-Town.
Seriously, show me the difference between Illinois and Alabama the past two seasons. One wears orange. There’s your differentiation. That’s about it.
Remember how Indiana decked the Illini when the teams met during the regular season? Well, the Rose Bowl became something of a sequel. The Hoosiers boot-stomped Alabama. The key difference? The encore happened in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal instead of an intraconference rout.
Around the time Indiana increased its lead to 38-3 on once-fearsome Alabama, you were forced to accept there’s just not much difference between the Tide and a 9-4 Big Ten team anymore.
