These 5 things will lead Alabama to title No. 17
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Alabama came one second away from claiming a 17th national championship last season, and with the firepower it has coming back there is no reason the Crimson Tide cannot reach college football's pinnacle again this year. Of course, winning a national title is never easy. The Tide must deal with the loss of several key players and will need a few things to bounce its way in order to be successful.
* These 5 things could doom Alabama next season
Here are five things that would ensure Alabama's success in its pursuit of a 17th national championship next season.
The SEC Offensive Player of the Year is returning
Talk all you want about the improvements Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts needs to make in the passing game. Just don’t forget that he earned SEC Offensive Player of the Year while setting Alabama’s single-season record for touchdowns with a combined 36. He did all of that while becoming the first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Tide since 1984.
Last season, Hurts passed for 2,780 yards with 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions while adding 954 yards and a team-high 13 more scores on the ground. While Alabama would like to see him improve on his vertical passing game, a strong showing during the A-Day game this year has given plenty of reasons for optimism.
Hurts completed 16 of 25 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns with one interception during A-Day. More importantly, he connected on six throws of 20 yards or more, including touchdown passes of 65 and 37 yards respectively. If the Channelview, Texas native is able to carry that performance into his sophomore season, he will not only remain the leading force in the Tide’s offense but could also put himself in position for several national awards.
A ridiculous depth of running backs
One thing helping Hurts’ case will be Alabama’s potent stable of running backs. On top of Hurts’ production in the run game, the Tide will return all three of its starting backs from last season in Damien Harris, Bo Scarbrough and Josh Jacobs. Alabama will also see the return of B.J. Emmons and welcome in two highly-rated freshmen in Najee Harris and Brian Robinson.
Damien Harris served as the Tide’s primary running back for most of the season, rushing for a team-high 1,037 yards. Scarbrough caught fire late in the season, tallying a combined 454 yards and six touchdowns in the Tide’s final four games before breaking his leg in the national championship game. Jacobs proved to be the most dangerous receiving option out of the backfield reeling in 14 receptions for 156 yards. Emmons was on his way to a promising freshman campaign before breaking his foot halfway through the season.
Najee Harris was rated as the No. 1 overall player in the 2017 class and tallied a team-high 70 yards on 17 carries during A-Day, while Robinson, a former four-star, put together a solid spring as well.
While all six backs should be healthy for the Tide’s Sept. 2 opener against Florida State, it’s unlikely they will all be used this season. However, the added depth should ensure Alabama is covered in case of injury while enabling each back to remain fresh throughout the year.
The defense should once again be elite
At first glance, Alabama’s losses on defense appear too much to handle. The Tide will be without college football’s top defensive lineman in Jonathan Allen, its top linebacker in Reuben Foster and another first-round pick in cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Along with that, Alabama will lose other key contributors in linebackers Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams, defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson and safety Eddie Jackson.
Those subtractions would be enough to disable even the most premier college programs. However, years of elite recruiting have given Alabama the players it needs to withstand the damage.
Replacing Allen will be former five-star recruit Da’Shawn Hand, who was rated as the No. 1 overall player in the 2014 class. Playing across the line from Hand will either be five-star Isaiah Buggs, the No. 1 JUCO player in the 2017 class, or 6-foot-7, 303-pound Raekwon Davis.
The Tide will turn to yet another former five-star to replace Foster, as Rashaan Evans is expected to finally get his opportunity to start during his senior season. Alabama will also have three talented options in Christian Miller, Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Hall competing for the two outside linebacker spots.
Consensus All-American Minkah Fitzpatrick will continue to work at strong safety after stepping in for Eddie Jackson midway through last season after Jackson suffered a broken leg against Texas A&M. Meanwhile, Trevon Diggs appears to have found a home at cornerback and will continue to improve in the role left behind by Humphrey.
While it’s true Alabama might not have as much depth as in recent years, those expecting a total defensive collapse from the Tide shouldn’t hold their breath.
A favorable schedule
Alabama will face a tough test in its season opener as it heads into a likely top-5 matchup with Florida State. Although, if the Tide can survive the early battle inside the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, things should get a lot easier from there.
After the opener, Alabama returns to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for two easy non-conference games against Fresno State and Colorado State. The Tide then opens up its conference schedule with a trip to Vanderbilt before returning home to face an Ole Miss team that should be down from recent years. Alabama will travel to Texas A&M before returning to host its next three games against Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU. The final three games include a road trip to Mississippi State, a cupcake game against Mercer inside Bryant-Denny Stadium and a trip to Auburn.
While the regular-season finale could be challenging depending on what Auburn has to play for, all four of the Tide’s road games appear manageable. Alabama has also dominated the SEC in recent years, holding a 48-5 record over conference opponents since 2011.
As long as Nick Saban is in charge, there's nothing to worry about.
It’s a simple fact. As long as Nick Saban is the head coach at Alabama the Tide will always be in contention for a national title. Outside of a 7-6 record during his first season in charge, Saban has posted a 112-13 record while claiming five SEC titles and four national titles over the past nine seasons.
He is also the only head coach to lead his team to all three College Football Playoffs. Throughout the spring it was obvious the head coach still hasn’t fully gotten over the last-second loss to Clemson in last season’s national championship game. That should only motivate Saban even more this season, which is bad news for the rest of college football.