The Alabama Crimson Tide has rolled its way to a 9-0 record. They’ve beaten everybody in front of them on every Saturday of the season so far. The AP Poll still has them listed as the top team in the country. Last week, the College Football Playoff committee slotted ’em as the second best team in the country. On the surface, it seems like things are pretty going for Nick Saban’s squad, no? But, when you look at the eye test, something just doesn’t feel right.
The Schedule
For one, the Tide hasn’t really played anybody. When the season started, that Florida State win looked tremendous. Fast forward nine weeks, and it doesn’t. And, it’s not just because the Seminoles lost quarterback Deandre Francois for the season. Florida State didn’t fall the way they did this season just from losing one player. Let’s be real here, folks – they simply aren’t as good as we thought they’d be.
Outside of that, who is Alabama’s toughest win? Middling LSU and Texas A&M teams. No SEC West game is a gimme, sure. I’ll give you that. But, this isn’t the SEC of a few years ago. Most of the league is down, including the western division. As the season’s worn on, those Fresno State and Colorado State wins are starting to look better. But, come on – we’re talking about Alabama here. Mountain West teams? Quality wins? Give me a break.
The bottom line is that this Tide team is averaging just 25 points against formidable opponents this season. That’s not going to be enough to beat, say, a Notre Dame, Clemson, or even Oklahoma in January.
The Talent
People are quick to say that Alabama doesn’t have “that one guy,” but I don’t know that that always necessarily means it’s more of a “team dynamic.” The Tide lost a lot of defensive talent to the NFL last season. While they still have Minkah Fitzpatrick, they aren’t loaded with the caliber of players like they had last year.
It’s hard to believe, but Bo Scarbrough may be poised for a better career in the NFL than he’s had at Alabama. Actually, the same could be said for Damien Harris and Calvin Ridley. They’re extremely talented. But, even those guys have had games this season when they don’t produce yardage. The offensive line isn’t it’s usual elite self. How many first rounders are going to come off the board from this team? I don’t see too many. Certainly not the nearly dozen we’ve become accustomed to. All this combines for a natural decline in talent.
This isn’t to say that the Tide isn’t talented. On the contrary, they’re one of the most talented teams in the nation. But, I’m merely pointing out that this team isn’t as talented as the Tide teams that won National Championships in the past. It’s unfair to hold the current team to past teams. But, then again, I guess that’s just living with the expectations that come along with Nick Saban’s tenure in Tuscaloosa.
The Field
The field is pretty stacked this year. There are several teams that are going to be competing for four College Football Playoff spots come December. Usually, Alabama feels lightyears ahead of the competition. But, this year, they don’t look much better than the teams surrounding them. Georgia and Notre Dame both rank ahead of Alabama in terms of rushing yards per game. Five major conference teams are scoring more points per game than the Tide. They’re the 87th best team in the nation in passing yards per game. They lead the nation in defense, allowing just 9.8 yards per game, but again, how many elite offenses have they played?
People seem to think that championships come easily to Alabama, and that they’ll be there at the end of the season just because they’re the Crimson Tide. That’s not the case this year. Mississippi State is no pushover. Auburn is going to be the toughest opponent of the season. Assuming they survive that skid, they’d draw Georgia in the SEC Championship. Win that and they get a playoff spot against a playoff team. Anyone they’d face in a potential National Championship game would be formidable. That’s a gauntlet for a team that still hasn’t lived up to its potential.
Something just doesn’t feel the same as it did in any of the National Championship years, or 2016 for that matter. Still, all that said, it’s November and Alabama is in firm control of where they stand come season’s end. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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