The University of Alabama football program is one of the most highly recognizable in all of college football. The school currently competes in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference.

On the heels of winning its 13th national championship, the Crimson Tide was busy in 2010 preparing for the upcoming season. "A-Day" was held for April 17, 2010, marking Bama's final spring scrimmage. The scrimmage, which began at 2 p.m., was televised on ESPN. The event is big with Alabama football fans - in 2009, more than 84,000 people turned out in Bryant-Denny Stadium to watch the scrimmage.http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20100416/NEWS/100419679/1005?p=2&tc=pg The 2010 matchup, which saw the White Team winning 23-17 over the Red Team, was attended by an estimated 91,300 fans.http://capstonereport.com/2010/04/17/alabama-crimson-tide-a-day-game-notes/5780/

Alabama's 2010 football schedule includes at-home match ups against SEC rivals Florida and Auburn, along with a September 11 game against Penn State.http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/alab-m-footbl-sched.html

2009 Season: Road to the National Championship

Alabama completed a perfect 12-0 regular season in 2009. As the winner of the SEC West, the Tide traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to take on #1 Florida in the SEC Championship Game on December 5, 2009. Bama won 32-13. The win took Alabama to 13-0 and earned them the right to play in the BCS Title Game against Texas. As the now #1 ranked Crimson Tide prepared to face the #2 Longhorns, Alabama running back Mark Ingram was awarded the 2009 Heisman Trophy. This marked the first-ever Heisman win for an Alabama player.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=47375242

The Tide took on Texas at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on January 7, 2010. Alabama beat the Longhorns 37-21, winning the team's 13th national championship and its first since 1992.http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2010-01-07-bcs-title-game_N.htm http://blog.al.com/solomon/2010/01/alabama_wins_national_title.html As a result of their national championship, the Tide received an invitation to visit the White House in Washington D.C.. The team, along with coach Nick Saban and University of Alabama President Dr. Robert Witt, made the visit on Monday, March 8, 2010.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gggfkIZ_WQmFNEUsNWvlCm4hKL_AD9E6NQIO1

The Crimson Tide took on 7th ranked Virginia Tech on September 5, 2009, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Alabama won its season opener 34-24. The Tide beat Florida International 40-14 in its home opener at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on September 12, 2009.

Bama dominated North Texas 53-7 in the Tide's second home game of the season on September 19, 2009.

Alabama faced it's first SEC matchup of 2009 on September 26, taking on the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Tide beat the Hogs 35-7.

Third-ranked Alabama traveled to Lexington, Kentucky, to take on the Wildcats on October 3, 2009. The Tide won 38-20, advancing to 5-0 for the season.

On October 10, 2009, third-ranked Alabama took on Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi. The Tide won 22-3.

Number two Alabama beat #22 South Carolina 20-3 on October 17, 2009, to advance to 7-0 on the season.

On October 18, 2009, Alabama jumped Florida to take the #1 spot in the AP college football poll. On October 24, 2009, Bama took on Tennessee at home. The Tide won by blocking a Vols field goal to win the game 12-10.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4574720 http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=292970333

After a bye week Alabama faced the LSU Tigers on November 7, 2009, at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Bama beat LSU 24-15, winning the SEC West and earning the right to play in the SEC championship game on December 5, 2009.

Alabama was on the road on November 14, 2009, taking on Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi. The Crimson Tide beat the Bulldogs 31-3 to remain undefeated at 10-0 on the season.

On November 22, 2009, Alabama played it's final game in Bryant-Denny Stadium for the season. The Tide beat UT-Chattanooga 45-0. Heisman Trophy candidate Mark Ingram rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns and Bama advanced to 11-0 on the season.

Alabama's hopes for a second straight perfect regular season were in jeopardy down on the Plains as the Tide trailed rival Auburn for much of the game on November 27, 2009. Bama came up with a key drive and subsequent fourth quarter touchdown to win the Iron Bowl 26-21. Alabama finished the regular season 12-0.

As the winner of the SEC West division, Alabama earned the right to play in the SEC Championship Game against #1 Florida. The Tide and Gators battled in the Georgia Dome on Saturday, December 5, 2009. Bama never trailed for the duration of the game, beating Florida 32-13. Tide QB Greg McElroy was 12 of 18 for 239 yards and a touchdown. Then-Heisman hopeful Mark Ingram rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns. Ingram also had two catches for 76 yards.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=2933903331

The Tide's SEC Championship victory clinched them a spot in the BCS National Championship Game on January 7, 2010.

On June 11, 2009, the team was ordered to vacate as many as 21 wins from 2005 to 2007 for NCAA violations.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4250596 In 2007, the school reportedly allowed students to receive other items for free when picking up their books, which is a violation of NCAA policy for failure to adequately monitor its student-athlete textbook distribution system.TuscaloosaNews.com: NCAA infractions ruling expected today AL.com: ... Alabama Admits Textbook 'Failure' Regarding Athletes On June 17, 2009, the university president announced the school would appeal the ruling, adding that the penalty is too severe for the infractions.http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/11865318

On March 23, 2010, the NCAA announced that Alabama's appeal of the sanctions had been denied. As a result, the original penalty that forces Bama to vacate 21 football wins from 2005 to 2007 will stand - this includes the first five wins in Nick Saban's first season as head coach of the Crimson Tide.http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/ncaahome?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/ncaa/ncaa/media+and+events/press+room/news+release+archive/2010/infractions/20100323+d1+iac+tuscaloosa

Alabama has won the SEC Championship 23 times in their history and has played in 57 bowl games. Several great players that wore the Crimson Tide uniforms include Ken Stabler, Joe Namath, Derrick Thomas, John Hannah, Cornelius Bennett, Ozzie Newsome, Lee Roy Jordan, Don Hutson, Shaun Alexander, Dwight Stephenson, Sylvester Croom and Bart Starr.

On September 2, 2009, the NCAA announced that it had cleared Alabama receiver Julio Jones and running back Mark Ingram to play in the September 5, 2009, Bama-Virginia Tech game. The players were involved in a violation reported by the University related to a fishing trip they took in the spring of 2009.http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2009/09/julio_ingram_no_publish.html