Head coach Nick Saban will lead the Alabama Crimson Tide football team into their season opener against Virginia Tech in the 2009 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic on Saturday night. (AP Photo)

The Alabama Crimson Tide football team received huge news yesterday, as two star offensive players, running back Mark Ingram and wide receiver Julio Jones, were cleared by the NCAA to play in the season opener against Virginia Tech on Saturday night.

The two teams will meet in the second Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic in Atlanta, Georgia. The game will also be the broadcast location for the popular ESPN College Gameday show on Saturday morning.

The Crimson Tide will be looking to continue the success they had during the regular season in 2008, when they used a 34-10 victory over Clemson in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic to springboard to a perfect 12-0 season.

However, Alabama will be replacing some key pieces on offense, including quarterback John Parker Wilson, running back Glenn Coffee and tackle Andre Smith. They will be going against one of the toughest defenses in the country in Virginia Tech and the outcome of the game could shape the course of the season for Alabama.

Overview

The questions for Alabama heading into the season opener all start on the offensive side of the ball. Alabama must replace their starting quarterback, starting running back, and three starters from a very good offensive line a year ago.

Redshirt junior Greg McElroy will be counted on to make smart plays with the football and aid the Crimson Tide and head coach Nick Saban in controlling the clock. Alabama will look to rely on a defense that ranked third in the country a year ago and returns the majority of its starters.

Virginia Tech will enter the game a bit banged up, as superstar sophomore running back Darren Evans tore his ACL in the offeseason and will miss the 2009 season. Still, Virginia Tech will look to establish the running game and will test a defensive line that will likely be without one of its starters, as defensive end Brandon Deaderick was shot earlier this week and is still recovering.

Still, Alabama's defense figures to hold their own against the Virginia Tech offense. This game will likely be decided by the Alabama offense's ability to control the clock and put up points on the Hokies.

X-Factor

The Alabama Offensive Line. If the Alabama offensive line shows up to play, Alabama should roll to a relatively easy victory with their suffocating defense propelling them. However, if the offensive line struggles replacing left tackle Andre Smith, as they did in games against Tulane and Utah a year ago, this game could be a gritty tough affair and Virginia Tech will havea great chance at pulling out the win.

Offensive lineman Mike Johnson will be the key to this, as he hopes to lead the offensive line this season as one of the top returning starters on offense. The offensive line must protect McElroy, to make his transition smooth and provide good run blocking for Ingram and true freshman Trent Richardson.

The Pick

While Alabama is a huge unknown on offense, and the Crimson Tide struggled without Andre Smith a year ago, they've had plenty of time to let the disappointment of their back-to-back losses to Florida and Utah set in. This should fuel the Crimson Tide and make an already suffocating defense even more ferocious in the opener.

In the end, the losses for Virginia Tech offensively will be too much to overcome, and Alabama will grind out a tough win on the shoulders of their defense.

Alabama 24 - 17 Virginia Tech