Last year, the Alabama Crimson Tide entered the season not fully sure who their starting quarterback would be. Last year, the Alabama Crimson Tide entered the season having lost to Ole Miss the previous year. Last year, Alabama lost to Ole Miss again. Last year, Alabama overcame the Ole Miss loss to win the SEC West Division title, just as it had the previous year in 2014.
It’s weird, but it’s real: Alabama could lose to Ole Miss yet again but still win its division, its conference, and make the College Football Playoff, and win the national championship. Alabama has made two straight College Football Playoffs, the only team to do so in the country. The Crimson Tide have done that with first-year quarterbacks. They shouldn’t be this good or this successful with inexperienced quarterbacks, but they get the job done anyway. Their linebackers and defensive linemen are so good that they’re able to overcome their other deficiencies. At any rate, will the Alabama Crimson Tide be able to defend their championship, at least to the point that they’ll be in the College Football Playoff?
Biggest Team Weakness
The weakness might not be a weakness, but it remains the most conspicuous point of possible frailty on the Alabama roster for 2016: quarterback. People will recall that last year, Nick Saban started Cooper Bateman against Ole Miss, and Alabama stumbled out of the gate in the first half before Jacob Coker entered the game and led a second-half rally which fell just short. Bateman was just not ready to handle the position, and even though he’s had a year in which to learn, he has to prove himself. It is hardly a guarantee or a source of considerable confidence that Alabama and Bateman will be on top of their game. The running game should be solid, the offensive line should be right, and Nick Saban is an incredible coach, but if the quarterback struggles, as it did in 2010 after Alabama won the 2009 national title, the other talented players on the roster won’t amount to much.
Biggest Team Strength
What’s unquestionable is that the Alabama Crimson Tide have one of the two best coaches in college football. Urban Meyer is the only man who can stay in Nick Saban’s orbit. Saban somehow continues to make the playoff and reach national championship games despite having modestly above-average quarterbacks and other offensive limitations, usually in the passing game. It seems bad and feels perilous, but Saban transcends his circumstances. Saban is always the best reason to trust Alabama in a given season and think that everything will work all right.
In terms of a specific player, Calvin Ridley is an elite receiver who can bail out his quarterbacks and give the Tide enough of a downfield threat to keep opposing defenses off balance.
Schedule
The Alabama Crimson Tide hosted Ole Miss and LSU last season. This year, they have to visit those two schools, which makes their road a lot tougher. Beyond that, they are going to get some serious tests while finding themselves away from home. They’ll start the season with a massive showdown against the No. 20 USC Trojans, which will be played at a neutral site. Two weeks later is the Ole Miss game. Then in October, they’ll have to go to Arkansas and No. 9 Tennessee in back-to-back weeks, which won’t be easy. After that, they’ll host a rebuilding Texas A&M squad before going back on the road two weeks later (after a bye) to play at LSU.
They should beat USC on a neutral field to start the season, but going unbeaten in the SEC will be hard. They’l end the year with home games against Mississippi State, Chattanooga and Auburn in the Iron Bowl, so that’s a soft spot. But until that point, they are going to have plenty of challenges.
Outlook
The Alabama Crimson Tide will lose one game again but they’ll will win the SEC West again. They’ll probably beat USC as they’re a team that’s still a step behind the elite teams. But expecting this team to go unscathed through Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU – all on the road – is unreasonable. Even by this team’s standards. Alabama will make the College Football Playoff again.
Projection: 1st In SEC West
