After today, there will be nine practices, plus a walk-through, before Alabama plays Clemson on Aug. 30. For players looking to impress coach Nick Saban and earn a place on an as-yet-unreleased depth chart, time has not run out.
Evaluations are not done, and the Crimson Tide may simulate a game-type atmosphere at times during practice.
"But not actual football, live stuff,"
Saban said. "This will be the last full-scale scrimmage before the season."
Inside Bryant-Denny Stadium at 1:30 p.m., players will make one final push to appear on the two-deep depth chart when it is unveiled. Soon, there will be no more administrative groupings, no more wondering about who stands where.
So what will the starting lineups look like?
"To be continued ... ,"
said center Antoine Caldwell.
In the scrimmage, the focus will be on areas such as red-zone efficiency, third-down efficiency, blitz pickup, end-game situations and general functionality.
Teams across the country are running through plays in their final scrimmage today. But it's hard to imagine the exercise is as imperative for anyone as it is for Alabama.
With positions open at linebacker and at receiver - among other places - members of the nation's top recruiting class are fighting to grab them. And there is urgency, too, because the No.9 Tigers aren't your usual season-opening opponent.
"The final scrimmage is very important, just to see what everyone's mind-set is, as far as offense and defense,"
left tackle Andre Smith of Birmingham said. "Make sure everybody knows their keys, what they're supposed to do, things like that. But the coaches make the final evaluation on who is going to play where."
Will receivers Julio Jones (on the outside) and B.J. Scott (in the slot) command passes from quarterback John Parker Wilson?
Will mammoth junior college transfer Terrence Cody become a key force on the defensive line? Will Don'ta Hightower make it the second consecutive year that a freshman starts at inside linebacker?
Will Mark Barron help in the nickel or dime formations in the secondary? Will Mark Ingram continue to emerge as the backup running back?
Jones continues to draw praise from everyone, with cornerback Kareem Jackson noting, "It's always going to be difficult to cover a receiver of that caliber."
Yet depending on the day, others will draw words such as these from Caldwell: "Mark Ingram's probably the best looking one I've seen out of anybody - him and Julio."
Many of the veterans aren't worried about who will start. The point for them is that the first-year players are preparing as if they are going to play immediately, even though some will be redshirted.
"Whether they play or not, everyone is going to be better,"
Wilson said. "With all the freshmen who might play, all the guys above them are having to work to keep their job. They might not know the whole offense or something, but that's why we spend so much time in camp to get them to learn."
Saban loves to test his players, putting them in high-stress situations to see how they react. He embraces scrimmages as a time for players to function without the coaches.
That makes today particularly crucial for the star-studded freshmen class. Through 19 workouts, Saban emphasized that those who are growing frustrated with the fast-paced learning must take a step back and relax. Easier said than done.
"They tend to personalize everything and sometimes don't get the kind of results they wanted to get,"
he said.
"In some cases, they probably came in thinking they were going to make a significant impact - and some of them will be able to do that. But the process of getting them where they need to be to do it is a little more difficult sometimes. They've got to be able to stay focused."
