Nick Saban has built the center of the college football world in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Crimson Tide have played for the national championship nine times over the 15 years that Saban has been in charge of the program, and Alabama has won six national championships. They have played in six of the last seven College Football Playoff National Championship Games, and they are favored to win the title once again headed into this season despite the loss of stars like Evan Neal, Jameson Williams, Christian Harris, and John Metchie III. Saban has turned Alabama into a perpetual juggernaut that never has to worry about rebuilding with a record of 183-25 with the Crimson Tide.
Regular Season Wins for the Alabama Crimson Tide
Over 11.5 +124
Under 11.5 -151
The only other programs with season win totals set at 11 or higher in a 12-game season are Georgia and Ohio State. That shows just what the oddsmakers think of Alabama, as the Crimson Tide are given close to a 50-50 chance of going unbeaten this year. Alabama finished the regular season undefeated in 2016, 2018, and 2020.
Roster
Bryce Young is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, becoming the first quarterback in school history to hold that honor. Young is seen as either the best or second-best quarterback in the country by almost every college football observer, and he is coming off a season where he completed 66.9% of his passes for 4,872 yards (8.9 YPA) with 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The sophomore has some mobility, but he will be without five of his top six receivers from last year, and that could hurt his overall production.
Tyler Harrell and Jermaine Burton transferred in from other programs to give the receiving corps some experience, but there is no doubt that this is the weakest spot on the roster. There aren’t any proven players, just a lot of highly rated recruits that have yet to really stand out at this level.
That will probably lead to Alabama getting back to basics and running the ball a lot in 2022. The Crimson Tide have a bell cow running back in Georgia Tech transfer Jahmyr Gibbs, and he is on the short list of Heisman Trophy favorites entering the season. Gibbs averaged 5.2 YPC in two seasons with Georgia, establishing himself as a solid pass catcher too. We should see Gibbs receive Derrick Henry type usage numbers with Trey Sanders being the primary backup.
The offensive line is elite despite the loss of Evan Neal. All three starting interior linemen return from last year, and Tyler Steen arrives from Vanderbilt to shore up one of the tackle positions. J.C. Latham or Kendall Randolph is expected to start at the other tackle spot, and they should pave the way for Gibbs to rack up big yards.
Alabama’s defense is expected to be the best in the country this season with Will Anderson leading the way. Anderson is a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender, and he is seen as a potential top five pick in next year’s NFL Draft. He had over 100 tackles and 17.5 sacks last year, and this linebacking corps should be special with Anderson and Henry To’o To’o on the field together.
The secondary is always a strength for Alabama as Saban coaches defensive backs better than anyone else. Kool-Aid McKinstry is an elite cornerback, and Jordan Battle and DeMarcco Hellams are excellent safeties. This defensive line is solid too with a lot of talent in the two-deep in order to keep fresh legs.
Schedule
The Crimson Tide will have a couple tough tests during the regular season, but they are expected to be favored by at least a touchdown in every game. Alabama will take on Texas in Austin in Week 2, and road games against Arkansas, Tennessee, and Ole Miss could be tricky. However, LSU is not the challenge it has been for most of Saban’s tenure, and the Crimson Tide will get to host Texas A&M and Auburn.
Prediction
It’s tempting to go with the ‘Over’ here and bet on Alabama to finish 12-0. However, the Crimson Tide stand a good chance of stumbling in October with four straight games against tough opponents that all run different offenses. If they can finish the month 8-0, they should be able to run the table, as they have two weeks before they play LSU and Ole Miss will be their only challenge.
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