What did I tell you? This time last week, I said not to worry about the way Alabama played against Western Kentucky. That it was merely having an off week, and it would recuperate to play lights out against Arkansas.

And, in case you didn’t notice, it did, roasting the Hogs in Fayetteville, Ark., 52-0. Ouch.

Now, before you start saying this is the best team in the nation, and that Alabama is guaranteed another national title, let me say this. Doesn’t this scenario look familiar to you? Alabama is coming off a huge win against a talented, albeit overrated opponent away from home and is getting ready to play a “cupcake” game the following week. Hmm…

For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, this is the exact same scenario Alabama faced after beating Michigan in the opening week, and we all remember how poorly the Tide played up to its own standards against Western Kentucky, despite the 35-0 shutout it posted.

This is the week that fans can see if Alabama is really the big deal everyone says it is. This week, Alabama needs to prove it will always play up to its standards, regardless of opponent, rather than just against in-conference foes.

If Alabama can’t take the lesson it learned against Western Kentucky and apply it to every opponent it faces this year, regardless of their “degree,” then we’ll probably be having this discussion every week for the rest of the season. On the other hand, if the Tide shows up this week to play Alabama football, that’ll be a good indicator of how it should play for the rest of the year.

Because, quite honestly, from top to bottom, this team is easily the most talented in the nation, let alone the Southeastern Conference. Barring a huge upset, LSU is the only team remaining on Alabama’s schedule that has the power, speed and talent to go blow-for-blow with the Tide. Of course, the SEC is a tricky conference to navigate, as Saban will be sure to tell his players, but LSU seems to be the only team with enough firepower to take on the Tide.

However, that comes with one stipulation.

That is, if Alabama plays up to its standards. If it doesn’t, if it gets caught looking ahead, then it may very well see a similar outcome to 2007, when it lost at home to the University of Louisiana at Monroe. No one wants to see that happen.

Saban has said this team is trying to create its own identity, independent of the 2010 and 2011 teams. The only way for his team to do that is to continue playing the type of football fans expect from Alabama. If the Tide does that, then the outcomes of games will take care of themselves. If Alabama takes care of business, more than likely you’ll see a lot more tallies in the “win” column than the “loss” column at the end of the season.