Tide's Ingram dominates as unsung heroes chip in

It wasn't emphatic. In fact, it wasn't even pretty. And unlike last year's season-opening drubbing of Clemson, Saturday's 34-24 win No. 5 Alabama posted against No. 7 Virginia Tech in the Georgia Dome isn't likely to boost the Tide's confidence and springboard the team to greatness.

But Nick Saban and company weren't looking at this game as a launching pad. They were looking for a win, and they were looking for answers. The night in Atlanta was a success on both of those fronts.

For starters, nobody knew how this Alabama team would handle the hype that has been heaped on them since spring practice. You think Florida fans are jazzed, expectations haven't been this high in Tuscaloosa since Gene Stallings retired to the farm.

Anything short of a return trip to the SEC championship game will be seen devastating in the eyes of the hounds-tooth wearing Tide crowd.