Was anyone really surprised when Clemson folded like a house of cards against Alabama on Saturday night? Did anyone really think Tommy Bowden wouldn’t find a way to blow it against Nick Saban? From the first series, it was clear that Alabama meant business, and Clemson just didn’t have the fire to compete.

We already knew Saban was a great college coach, but now we know he also has some real talent.

Stewart Mandel explains that Terrence Cody will likely be a star.

That Alabama may have the next Glenn Dorsey on its hands. Tide fans spent the offseason drooling in anticipation over the arrival of freshman WR Julio Jones, and while Jones did not disappoint in his debut, the truly astonishing newcomer was defensive tackle Terrence Cody. Clemson’s offensive line had no answer for the freakish 6-foot-5, 365-pound junior college transfer, who could be seen storming into the Tigers’ backfield over and over. Clemson’s vaunted rushing attack netted zero — yes, zero — total yards.

With such a rare combination of size and speed, Cody — who, as legend has it, began the year nearly 30 pounds heavier yet could be seen on the basketball court “dunking and doing 360s with the ball,” Tide center Antoine Caldwell said this summer — looks like the same kind of one-man wrecking crew as the former LSU star. Foes will have no choice to double or triple-team him, which, in ‘Bama’s 3-4 scheme, frees up all kinds of gaps for the linebackers.

We knew it was just a matter of time before Saban had Alabama back on track. We’ll see how much damage they can do this year.