Roll Pod: An Alabama sports show from Bama247

In taking down No. 3 Georgia, 41-24, at Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide improved to 4-0 on the season. When it was over, BOL senior analyst Travis Reier provided some thoughts and interacted with UA fans.

In the wake of the bombshell that Alabama head football coach Nick Saban and athletics director Greg Byrne had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the day, an asymptomatic Saban wasn't ready to break from his normal Wednesday practice routine.

Instead, there he was, on the electronic devices of a large virtual gathering of college football media from coast to coast, providing his usual post-practice update. With No, 3 Georgia set to visit Tuscaloosa Saturday, though, the set of circumstances still unfolding around the Alabama program couldn't be described as routine.

From awaiting additional tests to additional coaching staff scenarios, join BOL senior analyst Travis Reier as he takes you through the day's biggest news and ponders what might be in the offing for the Crimson Tide.

BOL staffers Charlie Potter and Travis Reier attempt to fill in some blanks as UA pivots from Ole Miss to No. 3 Georgia. Topics include:

* ____________ is why UA fans should have a sense of optimism where the Crimson Tide defense is concerned.

* If you were rank the three levels of the Alabama defense through games, __________________ would be first; followed by the _____________ and ______________.

* The Alabama defensive player most likely to breakout this week is ___________________.

* Mac Jones aside, __________________ is Alabama’s most important player on offense this week..

* The most impressive stat for the UA offense through three games is __________________.

* If Saturday’s game comes down to special teams, the Crimson Tide will be _____________________.

In outscoring Ole Miss, 63-48, on the road Saturday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide improved to 3-0 on the season. When it was over, BOL senior analyst Travis Reier provided some thoughts and interacted with UA fans.

What do you get when you put BOL old heads Tim Watts and Travis Reier behind open mics? Anything from Alabama sports and recruiting to the latest trends in pop culture. 

As for their latest installment on the Built By BamaOnLine podcast, here are some topics the fellas touched on:

* Navigating the high school football season in a pandemic.

* Nate Oats and UA men's basketball staff continue to land top talent.

* Area of 2020 Crimson Tide football team that has lived up to preseason billing.

* Areas where this UA team is still a work in progress.

* Defensive finish to 2021 football recruiting effort?

* Roundtable Mailbag includes:

-- When do the blue bloods come for Oats?

-- Pro prospects for Mac Jones.

-- Making the case for "Cobra Kai" as a must-see stream.

-- Ceiling for 2021 Alabama men's basketball recruiting class.

-- The guys' first experience(s) with beer.

-- One fast food burger for the rest of your life: who ya got?

-- Potential for Brian Branch to join Malachi Moore on the field in the future.

An assortment of more-likely-to-happen scenarios for some Alabama players at Ole Miss this Saturday were among the topics the fellas hit on during their most recent conversation. First, though, Trav and Charlie pour one out for the virtuoso, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen.

As for more-likelies in Oxford, they consisted of:

* Najee Harris rolling to his first 100-yard game on the ground or DeVonta Smith posting his first 100-yard receiving game of the season.?

* Christian Barmore or Will Anderson recording his first sack of the season.

* Carl Tucker or Slade Bolden catching a pass.

* Patrick Surtain II or Josh Jobe picking off a pass.

* Chase Allen or Will Reichard handling kickoffs.

* Brian Robinson or Miller Forristall scoring a touchdown.

Wrap with some JD Davison-to-Alabama discussion.

With his team besting Texas A&M, 52-24, Saturday afternoon, Alabama head coach Nick Saban improved to 20-0 in games against former assistants. When it was over, BOL senior analyst Travis Reier provided some thoughts from Tuscaloosa and interacted with UA fans.

Recruiting analyst Hank South joins Travis Reier to hit on a number of Alabama football and men's basketball recruiting-related topics. Specifics include:

-- What we know about a possible announcement from hoops five-star JD Davison.

-- Overview of a home football opener during a dead period.

-- Bama/A&M recruiting battles in recent years.

-- Tide has continued presence with nation's top prospect for 2021 cycle.

-- True or false: Tide will close out with two or more DLs; UA will sign a RB; One more WR more likely than an OL.

-- Ole Miss, MSU or Jackson State most likely to poach current Alabama commitment?

BOL staffers Charlie Potter and Travis Reier attempt to fill in some blanks as UA pivots from Missouri to Texas A&M. Topics include:

* The atmosphere last Saturday in Columbia was __________________________.

* The most encouraging individual performance from a UA player in Columbia came from _______________.

* The performances from Bryce Young and Trey Sanders could best be described as _______________ and _________________.

* Given the circumstances surrounding Texas A&M’s lackluster win over Vanderbilt, Nick Saban’s biggest challenge this week is __________________.

* One area of this team that is most likely to experience change in the coming weeks is ____________________.

* Not much of a sample size to work with, but ___________________ is the one player Alabama can least afford to lose moving forward.

In besting Missouri, 38-19, on the road Saturday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide improved to 14-0 in season openers under head coach Nick Saban. When it was over, BOL senior analyst Travis Reier provided some thoughts from Columbia, Mo., and interacted with UA fans.