Alabama Football: Another ‘Tide’ will rise in Tuscaloosa
The Crimson Tide will be back in 2017, and Alabama football will once again be one of the nation’s favorites.
Before last year began and anyone ever took the field, we all had it figured out. The Alabama Crimson Tide would march through their schedule, as would the Clemson Tigers. Both would meet again in the National Championship Game, and when the dust settled from that one, we’d have the same result as the year prior.
Alabama would emerge from a dogfight as the champs. Sure, Clemson had Deshaun Watson, but the Tide had too many strengths. If any weakness was shown, they’d overcome it.
Water cooler talk
There were a few who saw it another way. Some believed Hugh Freeze and the Ole Miss Rebels were capable of hanging a third-straight loss on Nick Saban and company, but the Tide took care of that. There were others who thought Clemson would take a step backwards, but week after week, they found a way.
Both made the playoff, and before the semifinal games kicked off, we congratulated each other on our own expertise. We awaited the outcome we all expected with certainty. No one outside of the Clemson fan base and the team’s locker room saw how they could pull off the upset.
It appears no one outside of the fan base and the team’s locker room knew what they were talking about.
Fallout from the CFP
Here we are, right around three months later, and spring games are approaching. Alabama, once again, has landed the best recruiting class in the country. 28 of the best high school players in the country (24 of them are seen as either four or five-star prospects by 247Sports) have signed their letter of intent and will suit up next season in crimson and white. They’ll continue to play at that same level we’ve grown accustomed to.
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What actually happened on January 10?
There was one thing we that wasn’t mentioned about that national championship game, why the Tide lost it.
As weeks went by and we got to know this team, something was becoming more and more apparent. Alabama’s quarterback was showing signs of being a freshman.
Jalen Hurts, though talented, was also capable of going through long stretches of time where he struggled with the mechanics of playing quarterback. Yes, he had the tools, but he lacked the experience. Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, on the other hand, was as seasoned as you could be.
Then there was Lane Kiffin. Regardless of what many would like to believe, firing your offensive coordinator days before the biggest game of the season is a difficult obstacle to overcome for any team, even if that team may be the best college football team and dynasty that many of us have ever seen. All of that is behind Alabama now. Hurts will continue to develop and mature. Kiffin coaches a team that most of us care little about.
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Yes, it may still be cold in many parts of the country, but trust us. It’s spring time, and football is right around the corner. That means everyone will have to deal with the Crimson Tide again.