Alabama Football: Way-too-early 2021 game-by-game predictions

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) warms up before a game between Tennessee and Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) warms up before a game between Tennessee and Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. /
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After fielding one of the greatest teams the sport has ever seem, Alabama football is looking to do something it has not done in a decade: repeat.

The college football season in 2020 was possibly the strangest that the sport has ever seen, but amidst all the craziness and the cancellations and postponements was the main constant: the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Alabama put forth one of the greatest teams of all time and was dominant from the start of the season all the way until the end.

Winning back-to-back championships is challenging in any sport, but Alabama still has Nick Saban patrolling the sidelines and are set to sign one of the highest rated recruiting classes of all time on Wednesday. The good times are going to keep rolling in Tuscaloosa for the foreseeable future.

Alabama will look like a completely different team on the field and on the sideline when the season starts in September. On offense, quarterback Mac Jones, receivers Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle, and offensive linemen Alex Leatherwood and Deonte Brown are off to the NFL after anchoring one of the greatest offenses in college football history. Dylan Moses, Patrick Surtain II and Christian Barmore will be missed on the defensive side of the ball.

The coaching staff will have some new faces as well. Former Penn State and Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien will take over for Steve Sarkisian as offensive coordinator and former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone will be the new offensive line coach after Kyle Flood followed the former to Texas.

Coaching staff turnover is not a new thing at Alabama under Saban, but it could take some time for everything to click.

While a lot of talent is leaving for the pros, Alabama recruits better than anyone and has future superstars waiting to emerge in 2021. Bryce Young will take over for Mac Jones and he is one of the most talented quarterbacks to ever sign at Alabama. He could be a Heisman Trophy candidate and how quickly he develops could be the key to whether Alabama wins their 19th national title in program history.

Here are my way-too-early game-by-game predictions for Alabama’s 2021 schedule.