SHREVEPORT, La. — Finishing the season with a winning record will be the reward for the winner of tonight's Independence Bowl, but just getting here was a near-epic struggle for both Alabama and Colorado.
Considering how it played the final month of the regular season, Alabama (6-6) is lucky just to be back in Shreveport for a second consecutive year. The Crimson Tide returns to the Independence Bowl after losing its last four regular-season games under first-year coach Nick Saban, to finish with a .500 record for the second consecutive year.
On Oct. 20, Alabama sat at 6-2 and ranked No. 17 in the country after blasting Tennessee 41-17. But consecutive losses to LSU, Mississippi State, Louisiana-Monroe and Auburn knocked the Crimson Tide from its perhaps prematurely lofty perch and had the team holding its breath when bowl matchups were announced earlier this month.
"It's not like we intentionally wanted to lose our last four games so that we could wind up in Shreveport again," Alabama defensive end Wallace Gilberry said. "Unfortunately, we fell off at the end, but there's nothing we can do now to change that. The only thing we can do is focus on what we need to do to improve and go out and get a win."
Judging by where it was a year ago, Colorado (6-6) is ecstatic to be playing in a bowl again, any bowl game. The Buffaloes went 2-10 in 2006 under first-year coach Dan Hawkins, but rebounded for victories against the likes of Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Nebraska this season.
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