First Glance - Alabama Weekend (Football, TV, and Everything Else)

Time for your first glance at....ah, never mind...we've been looking forward to this one for 11 months. The entire sports world is now focused on College Station. Let's do this...

Media Blitz:

• ESPN's College Gameday will be on campus for the second time in two years (vs Florida, 2012), and the fourth time overall. Get those signs ready and set that alarm for an early morning out at Simpson Drill Field. We have also been informed that Sportscenter will be doing live hits from campus throughout the day on Thursday and Friday. This is your chance to be the guy or girl on the phone in the background waving to mom and dad. Bucket list item? Well then...get on out there!

• CBS, who is broadcasting the game, is also bringing their pregame show to Aggieland. Don't remember seeing a CBS show on location at a game before? You're not alone. Actually, nobody has seen it before. They say there's a first time for everything, and CBS decided there was no better time or place to head out to a campus than this weekend. They'll be broadcasting from Kyle Field an hour before kickoff (1:30-2:30).

• Speaking of broadcasting on site, here's a list we've started for additional live radio broadcasts in Aggieland:

• SVP & Russillo with ESPN Radio will be out at Rudder Fountain from 12:00-3:00 on Friday.

• ESPN Radio's College Gameday will be out from 11:00-6:00 on Saturday at Rudder Fountain.

• Sirius/XM College Sports Today will be at Rudder Fountain from 2:00-5:00 on Friday afternoon.

• Sirius/XM's College Football Tailgate Show will also be at Rudder Fountain from 8:00-11:00 Saturday morning.

• In The Loop w/ Nick and Lopez (CBS Sports Radio 610 Houston ) will be live from The Corner Bar on Friday morning (6:00-10:00).

• John Harris and Sean Pendergast (Yahoo Sports Radio) are broadcasting live from 10:00-2:00 on Saturday from The Backyard (former site of Fitzwilly's)

• All of the Sports Talk 790 (Houston) shows on Friday will be live at Rebel Draft House.

Know of any others? Drop us a note in the comments below and let us know. We will have an updated list later in the week. As always, this list is subject to change. Check with individual shows and hosts for more info.

Now....let's talk some actual football....

Matchups to Watch

Sumlin and Manziel vs. Saban and Smart

One of my favorite shots from last year was Kirby Smart looking as confused and shocked as anyone has ever seen him when A&M jumped out to an early lead and had the offense clicking on all cylinders. There's no telling how many hours that Nick Saban has spent breaking down film, talking to experts, and driving himself mad trying to figure out how to stop Johnny & Co. We've all heard the Bama talking points: "Saban has had seven months to prepare for Johnny. He'll be ready, roll tide." Needless to say, we have a sneaky suspicion that Johnny has also put his work in over the offseason and will be ready to go.

A&M's D-Line vs. Alabama's O-Line

Can A&M stop the run? Can Bama stop the pass rush? Biggest matchup of the game. Win the battle in the trenches, and you'll be sitting pretty in the SEC West.

Last year's QB matchup:

Johnny Manziel - 24/31 for 253 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

AJ McCarron - 24/31 for 309 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs

Now What?

Give us your thoughts below:

1. Favorite memory from last year's Alabama game?

2. Who makes the biggest play on Saturday?

3. Predict the score.

Check back often. It's #HATEWEEK here at GBH, and we have more content than you can digest. Also, make sure you check out THE TAILGATE on Wednesday. It's going to blow your mind.