Saturday, August 30, 2014, 3:30 PM, ABC ESPN2

Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL

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Alabama will once again come into a season with National Championship expectations, and their first test of the year will come against the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Alabama was able to win its first 11 games in 2013, but all that group will be remembered for is losing to Auburn in their final regular season game and then failing to win the Sugar Bowl. They did finish the year with a top 5 defense, but their passing game was outside of the top 50.

Over the offseason, Alabama once again had one of the best recruiting classes, so they should have no problem bouncing back from what they considered a down year in 2013. Plus, they still have star running back T.J. Yeldon to lead their offense.

West Virginia started 2013 pretty well and had good games against ranked teams, but the second half of the season was a disaster for them and they finished with a 4-8 record. Their main problems were on the defensive side of the ball, where they ranked 100th in the nation after giving up 33.3 points per game.

Coach Dana Holgorsen is still unsure about who his future quarterback will be at West Virginia, but he knows that his running game should be solid now that he has two or three good options to choose from. The Mountaineers' defense is athletic and experienced, so they should be a better team even if their record doesn't improve very much this season.

Guy's Pick: Take Alabama

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