The greatest dynasty in college football history is once again favored to win the national championship. Nick Saban has led Alabama to 13 straight double-digit win seasons, and he can win his seventh national title in 15 seasons during the 2021-22 season. The Crimson Tide have made the College Football Playoff in five of the last six seasons, and they haven’t lost more than two games in a single season since the 2010 campaign.
Alabama Crimson Tide Season Win Total
Over 11.5 +106
Under 11.5 -130
Alabama Crimson Tide Preview
Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Alabama enters the season losing a ton of talent to the NFL Draft. Mac Jones, Najee Harris, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, Alex Leatherwood, and Patrick Surtain II were all selected in the first 24 picks, so the Crimson Tide have a ton of production to replace on offense. This is nothing new for Saban and the Crimson Tide though, and this system has become the standard-bearer for plug and play given the talent and development at Alabama.
Bryce Young is the projected starting quarterback for this team. Young saw a little action last year, completing 13 of 22 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. We didn’t see much running out of him although he was the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country coming out of high school, but that is expected to change as he takes the reins of this offense.
Alabama has lost a ton of talent at wide receiver over the last two seasons. However, John Metchie III will give Young one elite receiver on the edge. Metchie caught 55 passes for 916 yards and six touchdowns in 2020 opposite Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith. We might not see another option emerge though.
The Crimson Tide figure to have the best offensive line in the country in a couple seasons, but they might struggle a bit this year given they are replacing three starters. That could lead to a bit of a downturn in the rushing numbers, but nothing too drastic given the stable of running backs in Tuscaloosa. Brian Robinson Jr., Jase McClellan, Trey Sanders, and Roydell Williams are all expected to see time being the top option in the backfield.
This defense had some issues against top offenses in 2020. Ole Miss and Florida both carved up Alabama’s secondary, and the defensive line has not been as solid as it was the last few years as it was in Saban’s first decade in Tuscaloosa. However, the Crimson Tide should still have one of the best defenses in the country.
Malachi Moore will be one of the top cornerbacks in the nation, and he has the potential to lock down one side of the field after an excellent 2020 campaign. Freshmen Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold could make early impacts in their first years too.
The defensive line has experience, but this will be the weakest unit on the defense. Alabama’s run of simply above average linebackers is at an end though. Christopher Allen and Will Anderson Jr. were two of the best linebackers in the SEC in 2020. Allen and Anderson were incredibly disruptive, and they were both named Preseason First Team All-SEC selections in July alongside Henry To’o To’o.
2021 Alabama Crimson Tide Schedule
September 4 vs. Georgia*
September 11 vs. South Carolina State
September 18 vs. Georgia Tech
September 25 @ North Carolina State
October 2 vs. Boston College
October 15 @ Syracuse
October 23 @ Pittsburgh
October 30 vs. Florida State
November 6 @ Louisville
November 13 vs. Connecticut
November 20 vs. Wake Forest
November 27 @ South Carolina
Alabama Crimson Tide Win Total Prediction
This is a familiar schedule for Alabama. The Crimson Tide play one Power Five team in non-conference play in their first game of the season before settling into SEC play. Their first SEC game is against a Florida team that lost a ton of production in the offseason, and their only difficult stretch sees them host Ole Miss in early October before going on the road to take on Texas A&M and Mississippi State.
Alabama will be favored in every game during the regular season. The Crimson Tide are coming off an unbeaten campaign, but they have only run the table twice in Saban’s long tenure. They are likely to drop a game somewhere along the way, especially given the offensive production they lost to the NFL, so the under is the play.
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