Doubting Alabama in 2017? Bad Idea
They were 2 minutes away.
They were 2 minutes away from a 2nd straight national championship, 4th in 6 years, 5th in 8 years. And then Clemson put on a drive to end it.
Game over. Nothing. Nada, zero, zilch, zip.
All you got was instead of how Alabama's defense labeled by some as "overrated," playing in an overrated conference that had more weaklings in recent memory, losing to other "weaklings." And to an outsider that looks at Alabama with the moves of coaching changes, especially on the offensive coordinator side, as well as another round of players leaving for the NFL draft, the Crimson Tide are "expected" to take a step back in 2017.
Dumb idea.
To really view the 2016 Alabama season was one that ranks of previous national championship runs under Saban. And honestly, until the Playoff, this may have been the best Tide team since 2011. Not to use the "Hillary Clinton Rhetoric" here but had Alabama played Clemson in October/November, they probably win that game. But it is all about how you finish, not how you start. But Kiffin and his absent-minded mentality and the offensive struggles while the defense had some odd lapses not just in the Clemson game, but the previous two games of Washington and even Florida, the Tide fell back just enough to keep Tuscaloosa from saying "we have #17." Add that to the fact Clemson's best moment was probably losing to Pitt as they rebounded nicely including slamming Ohio State and it is why the national championship resides in the state east of Georgia, and not west of Georgia.
But enough about the past. Time for the future. Alabama will have to regroup and recover in a very fast way, as they will play Florida State in the new Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta week 1. The kicker may be that Alabama may head into that game as an underdog as possibly the Seminoles may be ranked #1 or #2 when the season starts while Alabama is considered probably #3.
The one kicker I keep hearing is how Alabama lost so much in the draft with the likes of Jonathan Allen, Ruben Foster, Marlon Humphrey, etc. that it is the drop. The major drop will be the front seven really but when you are loaded with 5-star athletes in those positions then you don't know exactly. Add in they still have guys like Raekwon Davis, who had a big day in the Spring game, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Rashaan Evans, and a few others that can really come into play. Add in that you still have Ronnie Harrison and Minkah Fitzpatrick in the secondary where Alabama may have one of the stronger years there even with the loss of Humphrey. So if Alabama's defense takes a step back, it will not be a major one.
Offensively, it may be one of Alabama's most talented groups. If Jalen Hurts continues his progress, it will be a sick group. Of course, Bama's bread and butter will feature the run game as Bo Scarbrough came into his own especially late in the season and was probably the MVP of the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl against Washington and he may have put Alabama over the top in the national championship had he not gotten injured. But if Scarbrough can't go, the surplus of backs is probably the best they've ever had at one point (including when Bama had Ingram, Richardson, and Lacy together in 09 and 10). Damien Harris got better as the season went on and you also have BJ Emmons. But the guy everybody is wanting to see play will be Najee Harris. Many think he will be the best Alabama back they've had, which says something with what they have produced.
At the wide receiver, Calvin Ridley is becoming one of the top at his position. But the guy that impressed and also has high hopes similar to Harris is Jerry Jeudy (who many compare his play to Ridley). Add in Robert Foster, who seems very determined to put 2016 on the backburner and you have one of the better receiving corps around in the nation. It isn't as flashy as we see at Ohio State (but then again, nobody is).
Some think the Tide's weakness last year was the offensive line and with Cam Robinson, many pile it on this year, but honestly you have upper classmen like Bozeman, Pierschbacher, and Lester Cotton while you could have two stout young tackles in Alex Leatherwood (5-star guy), and Scott Lashley. If it was a weakness last year, I don't know if it will be the case this year. I like the mix of upper-classmen with the freshmen and sophomores. It is probably why Alabama can still compete every year and not have a "year off" like we see with some like Oregon, Michigan State, Ole Miss, etc.
Alabama, given their ability to recruit, will always be considered a national threat and this year it looks like the offense will play a huge role while the defense will likely take a step back, but may get stronger as the season continues. Given the situation in the SEC, you will either have another year of Alabama ruling the roost while the likes of LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, etc. expecting to do great, fail to impress or it will be a dog-eat-dog world like it normally has been pre-2016. But all you need to know is when it comes to the big games and if you doubt a Saban-led squad, you will regret it.
By late November Alabama will be in the mix once again for a playoff.
-Fan in the Obstructed Seat
