Music to listen to: Machine Gun by The Commodores
Last Season: When your college football team wins 11 games and that’s considered a bad season, things are going very positive for that program. Alabama has reached that status under head coach Nick Saban.
Coming off of a national championship in 2012, the Crimson Tide look poised to get another title last season until it suffered the most devastating late-game loss in college football history. The obscurity of giving up a missed field goal return for a touchdown against your arch rival on national TV was bad enough. If Alabama beats Auburn in that game, they advance to the SEC title game against an inferior Missouri squad and a victory there would have meant another appearance in the national title game.
The Crimson Tide wasn’t able to move on from the Auburn loss and got dominated by Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. That’s how you go from an undefeated mark after 11 games and dreams of another national title to losing the final two games and having an offseason of disappointment.
Offense: It will all start at the quarterback position where Alabama must replace two-time national champion AJ McCarron. The spot looks to be Florida State transfer Jacob Coker’s to lose but a relatively soft schedule to start the season will also allow senior Blake Sims an opportunity to get some run in that spot as well.
Whoever the quarterback ends up being, he’ll spend a significant amount of time handing the ball off to an elite stable of running backs. Junior T.J. Yeldon will be the starter and has the chance for a breakout season following the footsteps of Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson and others who’ve succeeded under Saban’s ground-control offense. Derrick Henry and Kenyon Drake will also be in the rotation.
Wide receiver Amari Cooper is the Crimson Tide’s best outside threat. Several strong starters from the offensive line must be replaced.
Defense: Last year’s defense for Alabama was first in the SEC in scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense and second in passing defense. They were also in the top-12 nationally in all of those categories.
Sophomore defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson led the team with 5.5 sacks last season as a freshman and he’s back. Senior Brandon Ivory will control the middle as nose tackle.
All-America outside linebacker C.J. Mosley has departed but senior Troy DePriest will take on increased responsibilities in the linebacker group.
There are questions in the secondary where three starters have to be replaced. Junior Landon Collins is one of the top safeties in the country and will help that unit.
Schedule:
| 8/30 | vs. West Virginia (Atlanta) |
| 9/6 | Florida Atlantic |
| 9/13 | Southern Miss |
| 9/20 | Florida |
| 10/4 | at Ole Miss |
| 10/11 | at Arkansas |
| 10/18 | Texas A&M |
| 10/25 | at Tennessee |
| 11/8 | at LSU |
| 11/15 | Mississippi State |
| 11/22 | Western Carolina |
| 11/29 | Auburn |
This looks like an undefeated schedule for Alabama. The Crimson Tide get their toughest opponents at home outside of an always difficult trip to LSU. Despite of all of that, it’s going to be difficult for Alabama to make it through without a loss. I can see a lost at Ole Miss or even Tennessee. Those type of losses seem to happen every season.
First memory:
I remember the 1992 national title team but I’m going to take you back to 1999, my freshman year at Vanderbilt. My first-ever live SEC game was the Commodores’ season-opener that year at home against the Crimson Tide. I’m hyped sitting in the stands seeing my college play against one of the top programs in college football history. Shaun Alexander is putting in work for Alabama but Vandy has a second-half lead.
The Commodores are on offense in the third quarter and get stopped around their own 20-yard line. The punting unit comes in for Vandy. I remember exactly where I was and saw that the fake was on. Even me as an 18-year-old watching his first SEC game saw that the fake was on. What do you think Alabama saw? Of course the Crimson Tide stop the fake, score a touchdown and proceed to win the game 28-17. It was my introduction to being let down by Vanderbilt football.
Vandy went on to win five games that year, which was the most I ever saw as an undergrad in a season. My junior and senior year, the Dores won two games each of those two seasons. I can say I was witness to the end of the Woody Widenhofer era and the beginning of Bobby Johnson’s. Fun times.
Favorite alum:
Strong list but how can you go agaisnt Joe William Namath. He can get the honor alone just for his Playboy interview. Look it up, its a doozy. He’s the best football player to ever come out of Alabama which is a grand statement and a legend in the NFL. Others: Gerald Wallace, Latrell Sprewell, Mark Ingram, Joe Namath, Derrick Thomas, Keith McCants, Ozzie Newsome, Dave Magadan, Dabo Swinney, Jim Nabors, Mel Allen and Michael Emerson.
Crush:
I’m torn because Sela Ward usually gets this honor but I’ve been impressed with Sonequa Martin-Green’s work on the Walking Dead. I’ll go with the newcomer in a minor upset. Others: Debra McMichael and Madeline Mitchell.
Overall outlook: While this may not be the most talented team Alabama has had under Saban, it may the one that fits the mold of a perfect team under his mold. The Crimson Tide are going to run the ball, have solid line play on both sides of the ball and hit some outside targets for big plays on offense. If the secondary can come together and Coker provides competence at the quarterback position, Alabama will be in the playoffs.
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