Alabama will look to repeat as national champions this year as it aims to add a 19th title to its trophy case. The Crimson Tide opens its season on Sept. 4 against Miami inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. To help pass the time until then, BamaInsider is delving into 21 topics and questions concerning the 2021 season.
Today we continue our series by breaking down Alabama’s schedule.
Perfection is a rarity, even for college football’s biggest perfectionist. Nick Saban has piled up six national championships since taking over Alabama in 2007. However, only two of those title runs have been unblemished.
That’s what made last season’s squad so special to the head coach. Following Alabama’s national championship victory over Ohio State — a win that capped off the Tide’s first undefeated season since 2009 — Saban expressed his pride in this players, calling this year’s unit “the ultimate team.”
Not only did Alabama assemble one of the most dominant teams in college football history, it did so in the midst of a pandemic while maneuvering an SEC-only regular season.
“To me, this team accomplished more, almost, than any team,” Saban said. “No disrespect to any other teams that we had or any championship teams, but this team won 11 SEC games. No other team has done that. They won the SEC and went undefeated in the SEC. Then they beat two great teams in the playoffs with no break in between. … Played 13 games and went undefeated with all the disruptions that we had in this season, I think there’s quite a bit to write about when it comes to the legacy of a team.”
The challenge now comes in trying to recapture one of the sport’s rarest feats for a second straight season. Alabama won’t face the same off-the-field obstacles this year, and early betting offs have the Tide favored in all of its big games. However, when it comes to perfect seasons, nothing can be taken for granted.
Toughest game
Two games stand out when examining Alabama’s upcoming schedule, and both will be on the road. The Tide travels down to Gainesville, Fla. for a rematch of last year’s SEC Championship Game against the Gators on Sept. 18 and will also make a challenging trip to College Station, Texas to take on Texas A&M on Oct. 9. Both matchups present their own respective challenges.
Alabama’s trip to The Swamp could be tricky due to where it falls in the season. The Week 3 matchup might find the Tide still feeling itself out on offense as it looks to replace eight starters from last year, including three on the offensive line. The Gators are also replacing several key stars on offense, making this a game that could be decided by who makes the fewest miscues.
Alabama’s journey to the Lone Star State comes in Week 6 when the Tide should be more settled into the season. Still, Texas A&M is a popular pick to challenge Alabama in the SEC West. The Aggies will need to replace a four-year starter in quarterback Kellen Mond but return a dynamic running back duo of Isaiah Spiller and Ainias Smith as well as tight end Jalen Wydermyer, who recorded eight receptions for 82 yards during last year’s game against Alabama.
The Texas A&M game also features a bit of drama as Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher claimed he would get the best of Nick Saban, stating earlier this month that “We’re going to beat his ass while he’s there.”
When asked about the remark, the Alabama head coach questioned, “In golf?” Fisher served as Saban’s offensive coordinator at LSU from 2000-04. Fisher is 0-4 against his former boss, as Saban’s teams have outscored him a combined 168-82 in those meetings.
Toughest stretch
While there’s some debate as to whether Florida or Texas A&M is the hardest game on Alabama’s schedule, there’s no doubt that October will be its most difficult stretch. Three of the Tide’s four games that month will be against teams ranked in the top 25 in terms of ESPN’s Football Power Index, including Ole Miss (No. 22), Texas A&M (No. 6) and Mississippi State (No. 8). The only non top-25 opponent is Tennessee (No. 48) which wraps up the gauntlet of games with a trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Oct. 23.
The stretch begins with a home game against Ole Miss on Oct. 2. Lane Kiffin’s side needs to replace its top two receivers in wideout Elijah Moore and tight end Kenny Yeboah. However, the Rebels return dual-threat quarterback Matt Corral, who completed 21 of 28 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns while adding 40 yards on the ground against Alabama last season. It’s also worth noting that Ole Miss has an open week heading into the matchup while the Tide will face Southern Miss the week before.
While the trip to College Station might be the biggest matchup of the month, Alabama will need to avoid a hangover the following week as it travels to Starkville, Miss.
Like Ole Miss, Mississippi State has an open week before playing Alabama. While the Tide dismantled the Bulldogs, 41-0, in Tuscaloosa last season, it could face stiffer competition in Mike Leach’s second year in charge of Mississippi State. The Bulldogs return 16 starters from last year’s team, including quarterback Will Rogers, who showed improvement late in the season.
Alabama shouldn’t have much trouble against a Tennessee team under first-year head coach Josh Heupel. However, the Tide will have played seven straight games at that point and could be a bit beaten up heading into the matchup.
Potential trap game
The matchups against the Mississippi schools are worth circling as both teams have open weeks before facing Alabama. Having them on either side of the game at Texas A&M is also difficult as the Tide will have to avoid looking ahead to the Aggies against Ole Miss while it could be caught licking its wounds against Mississippi State.
Despite getting to face Ole Miss inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium, the game against the Rebels might strike more fear into Alabama heading into the season. Saban’s defense was exposed by Kiffin in a 63-48 victory in Oxford, Miss. last season. While the Tide’s defense figures to be much improved this year, expect Kiffin to have a few tricks dialed up against his former boss.
Today we continue our series by breaking down Alabama’s schedule.
Perfection is a rarity, even for college football’s biggest perfectionist. Nick Saban has piled up six national championships since taking over Alabama in 2007. However, only two of those title runs have been unblemished.
That’s what made last season’s squad so special to the head coach. Following Alabama’s national championship victory over Ohio State — a win that capped off the Tide’s first undefeated season since 2009 — Saban expressed his pride in this players, calling this year’s unit “the ultimate team.”
Not only did Alabama assemble one of the most dominant teams in college football history, it did so in the midst of a pandemic while maneuvering an SEC-only regular season.
“To me, this team accomplished more, almost, than any team,” Saban said. “No disrespect to any other teams that we had or any championship teams, but this team won 11 SEC games. No other team has done that. They won the SEC and went undefeated in the SEC. Then they beat two great teams in the playoffs with no break in between. … Played 13 games and went undefeated with all the disruptions that we had in this season, I think there’s quite a bit to write about when it comes to the legacy of a team.”
The challenge now comes in trying to recapture one of the sport’s rarest feats for a second straight season. Alabama won’t face the same off-the-field obstacles this year, and early betting offs have the Tide favored in all of its big games. However, when it comes to perfect seasons, nothing can be taken for granted.
Toughest game
Two games stand out when examining Alabama’s upcoming schedule, and both will be on the road. The Tide travels down to Gainesville, Fla. for a rematch of last year’s SEC Championship Game against the Gators on Sept. 18 and will also make a challenging trip to College Station, Texas to take on Texas A&M on Oct. 9. Both matchups present their own respective challenges.
Alabama’s trip to The Swamp could be tricky due to where it falls in the season. The Week 3 matchup might find the Tide still feeling itself out on offense as it looks to replace eight starters from last year, including three on the offensive line. The Gators are also replacing several key stars on offense, making this a game that could be decided by who makes the fewest miscues.
Alabama’s journey to the Lone Star State comes in Week 6 when the Tide should be more settled into the season. Still, Texas A&M is a popular pick to challenge Alabama in the SEC West. The Aggies will need to replace a four-year starter in quarterback Kellen Mond but return a dynamic running back duo of Isaiah Spiller and Ainias Smith as well as tight end Jalen Wydermyer, who recorded eight receptions for 82 yards during last year’s game against Alabama.
The Texas A&M game also features a bit of drama as Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher claimed he would get the best of Nick Saban, stating earlier this month that “We’re going to beat his ass while he’s there.”
When asked about the remark, the Alabama head coach questioned, “In golf?” Fisher served as Saban’s offensive coordinator at LSU from 2000-04. Fisher is 0-4 against his former boss, as Saban’s teams have outscored him a combined 168-82 in those meetings.
Toughest stretch
While there’s some debate as to whether Florida or Texas A&M is the hardest game on Alabama’s schedule, there’s no doubt that October will be its most difficult stretch. Three of the Tide’s four games that month will be against teams ranked in the top 25 in terms of ESPN’s Football Power Index, including Ole Miss (No. 22), Texas A&M (No. 6) and Mississippi State (No. 8). The only non top-25 opponent is Tennessee (No. 48) which wraps up the gauntlet of games with a trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Oct. 23.
The stretch begins with a home game against Ole Miss on Oct. 2. Lane Kiffin’s side needs to replace its top two receivers in wideout Elijah Moore and tight end Kenny Yeboah. However, the Rebels return dual-threat quarterback Matt Corral, who completed 21 of 28 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns while adding 40 yards on the ground against Alabama last season. It’s also worth noting that Ole Miss has an open week heading into the matchup while the Tide will face Southern Miss the week before.
While the trip to College Station might be the biggest matchup of the month, Alabama will need to avoid a hangover the following week as it travels to Starkville, Miss.
Like Ole Miss, Mississippi State has an open week before playing Alabama. While the Tide dismantled the Bulldogs, 41-0, in Tuscaloosa last season, it could face stiffer competition in Mike Leach’s second year in charge of Mississippi State. The Bulldogs return 16 starters from last year’s team, including quarterback Will Rogers, who showed improvement late in the season.
Alabama shouldn’t have much trouble against a Tennessee team under first-year head coach Josh Heupel. However, the Tide will have played seven straight games at that point and could be a bit beaten up heading into the matchup.
Potential trap game
The matchups against the Mississippi schools are worth circling as both teams have open weeks before facing Alabama. Having them on either side of the game at Texas A&M is also difficult as the Tide will have to avoid looking ahead to the Aggies against Ole Miss while it could be caught licking its wounds against Mississippi State.
Despite getting to face Ole Miss inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium, the game against the Rebels might strike more fear into Alabama heading into the season. Saban’s defense was exposed by Kiffin in a 63-48 victory in Oxford, Miss. last season. While the Tide’s defense figures to be much improved this year, expect Kiffin to have a few tricks dialed up against his former boss.
