Alabama Football: 5 reasons why the Crimson Tide will struggle in 2017
It looks like business as usual in Tuscaloosa with the Alabama football entering another season with a No. 1 ranking. Why should the Crimson Tide be worried?
The Alabama Crimson Tide have been the gold standard of college football over the last decade. Head coach Nick Saban has brought them to the point of becoming a dynasty and is one of the best if not the best coach in college football history already.
Once again, Alabama carries a No. 1 ranking into the season, at least in terms of the first edition of the Amway Coaches Poll. Another National Championship could be on the horizon, or it could be heartbreak for Saban and sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts, again.
The threat of another SEC team dethroning the Tide is real. Competition levels in the SEC are always among the best in the country. And Alabama has been knocked off before. Don’t doubt that a coach like Auburn’s Gus Malzahn or Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin can do it once again.
Alabama Crimson Tide Football
However likely that Alabama reaches the College Football Playoff and wins the SEC for the fourth time in a row, there’s going to be obstacles in the way. The first one comes in the first week of the season against quarterback Deondre Francois, head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Florida State Seminoles. FSU is a real contender for the National Championship and carries a No. 3 ranking into the year.
Alabama is one of those programs that does not have to rebuild ever, they just reload. However, the loss of six starters on defense will hurt the Tide on that side of the ball. If something else emerges like the DUI charge to defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand, the punishment could be more severe this time than just a slap on the wrist, no matter how you feel Saban handled that situation.
Among all the teams we have discussed that could struggle in 2017, it is obviously the least likely that Alabama does so. They are the shining example of what a college football program should strive for. Yet, every team could have its downfall, at one point or another, and 2017 could finally be the year that topples the Tide.
Now, let’s take a look at 5 reasons why the Alabama Crimson Tide will struggle in 2017.