Alabama football and Nick Saban have become synonymous with national championships. Can they win it all in 2017 or has the SEC finally caught up?
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Only in Tuscaloosa, Alabama would a loss in the national championship game be looked at with ire rather than remembered as an accomplishment. Nick Saban has brought that distaste upon himself by winning four championships as the head coach of the Alabama football team.
Coming off of that last-second defeat, the Crimson Tide are aiming at a return appearance this season. But this time they want to come home with a victory. Since the College Football Playoff was created in 2014, Alabama has yet to fail to receive an invite.
On the heels of a surprisingly diverse offense and the patented Saban-strong defense, the Tide are the favorites to make it back to the title game once more. Every school in the SEC, except for Alabama, finished the 2016 season with at least four losses. While the rest of the conference doesn’t look to be as meager as they were a season ago, there still isn’t a team that holds a candle to the completeness of the Crimson Tide’s roster.
We know the expectations, but what will the 2017 season look like for the Alabama Crimson Tide?
Offense
The Crimson Tide have a returning starter at the quarterback position for the first time since AJ McCarron in 2013. That season the Tide ran out to an 11-0 record before running into an Auburn team that just simply would not be beat.
Jalen Hurts will look to avoid repeating that in 2017. Two completely different players, Hurts posted a similar line in 2016 to McCarron’s 2013 year. McCarron threw 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions compared to Hurts’ 23 passing scores and nine picks. The difference was Hurts’ 13 rushing touchdowns. His mobility, combined with the terrifying three-headed backfield of Bo Scarbrough, Damien Hurts and Najee Harris will run roughshod over their opponents in 2017.
As if that wasn’t enough the Tide also return first team All-SEC wide receiver Calvin Ridley. They have a few notable pieces departing including O.J. Howard and Ardarius Stewart, but they’ll back fill those positions with some elite recruits and keep rolling full steam ahead.
Sophomore Trevon Diggs is a name to look out for. He averaged 10 yards per reception in 2016 but saw limited playing time behind Stewart. He’ll be asked to step into a full-time role this season and should quickly become a favorite target for Hurts. He’s big (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) and quick. That will make him a convenient red zone target for an accurate passer.
Defense
Who came in at No. 1 in our rankings of the top 50 players in 2017? Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. He’s a touchdown machine that plays on the defensive side of the ball. Opposing quarterbacks may be better served to avoid his side of the field entirely.
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Outside of Fitzpatrick, the Tide have a lot of fresh faces in 2017. While they might not be that unfamiliar to Alabama fans, former role players like Marion Humphrey and De’Shawn Hand will become fixtures on the front seven this season.
Even with the turnover on the roster, the Crimson Tide will continue their run of dominance on this side of the football. Alabama was the No. 1 scoring defense in 2017 and went an entire month without surrendering a touchdown. You might want to read that last sentence again.
The Crimson Tide allowed 63.9 rushing yards per game, which included games against SEC teams that thrive on running the football. They completely dismantled LSU and Florida last season. When teams try to open it up, they fair a little better, albeit not by much. Alabama ranked No. 24 in the nation in passing defense last season. With Anthony Averett and Ronnie Harrison returning, they Tide will be tough to be through the air once again.
Schedule and predictions
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION |
| 1 | Sept. 2 | vs. Florida State | Atlanta, Ga. |
| 2 | Sept. 9 | vs. Fresno State | Tuscaloosa, Al. |
| 3 | Sept. 16 | vs. Colorado State | Tuscaloosa, Al. |
| 4 | Sept. 23 | @ Vanderbilt | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 5 | Sept. 30 | vs. Ole Miss | Tuscaloosa, Al. |
| 6 | Oct. 7 | @ Texas A&M | College Station, Tx. |
| 7 | Oct. 14 | vs. Arkansas | Tuscaloosa, Al. |
| 8 | Oct. 21 | vs. Tennessee | Tuscaloosa, Al. |
| 9 | Oct. 28 | BYE WEEK | |
| 10 | Nov. 4 | vs. LSU | Tuscaloosa, Al. |
| 11 | Nov. 11 | @ Mississippi State | Starkville, Ms. |
| 12 | Nov. 18 | vs. Mercer | Tuscaloosa, Al. |
| 13 | Nov. 25 | @ Auburn | Auburn, Al. |
The week one matchup between Alabama football and Florida State could very well be a prequel of a college football playoff game. Both teams are ranked in the preseason top five and each is the front-runner in their respective conference.
After a heavyweight fight against the Seminoles, Alabama has a slew of relatively easy games. They shouldn’t have trouble winning their next few games. Who can stop them? LSU and Auburn have traditionally given the Tide a test late in the season. Both teams will be competitive this season and have the pieces to hang with Alabama.
Auburn in particular looks designed to be a giant killer in 2017. They have the offense and defense to counter the Tide punch for punch. Alabama is good, but they won’t survive the SEC unscathed again. They’ll lose one game along the way and drop the Iron Bowl rivalry game against Auburn. That would put them just outside the College Football Playoff for the first time ever.
Tuscaloosa might explode.
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Prediction: 10-2 (6-2 SEC)
There aren’t many places where 10-2 would be considered a failed season. Alabama is going to be a good football team in 2017, maybe even great. But college football is a game of inches and odd bounces. No team, no matter how great, can be perfect forever. This will be the season that someone gets a few more bounces than Bama. It happens. That’s football. And Alabama isn’t immune from that.