Don't ever sleep on Alabama football. While the SEC powerhouse is never considered a full-blown underdog, the tides have turned after Georgia won back-to-back National Championships. A three-peat would ceremoniously knock the Crimson Tide off the perch they have been manning for over a decade. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit is channeling his inner Lee “Not so fast” Corso, though, when assessing the team's 2023-24 outlook.

“Just when you think Nick Saban and Alabama are done, they'll come back and win it all,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I haven't really dug in. I'm already leaning to Alabama winning the National Championship.”

Herbstreit obviously subscribes to the old adage do not poke the bear. Saban has been in the game for a long time, but he still has plenty of bite left, especially with this ongoing narrative that Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs are reigning kings of college football. To be fair, it is an inarguable statement to make at this moment. They are in rarefied air, the one that only certified juggernauts enter, though, they are still sharing it with the Crimson Tide.

Alabama football has the No. 1 ranked recruiting class for 2023-24, per 247 Sports, right ahead of Georgia. This rivalry between Alabama and Georgia remains competitive and intense. Nick Saban was denied an opportunity to avenge the 2022 championship game loss to the Bulldogs last year, as the team lost two heartbreakers to Tennessee and LSU, respectively.

Could those bitter defeats, coupled with Georgia's coronation, be the fuel this elite program needs to reclaim the throne? As Kirk Herbstreit said, it is dangerous to give Alabama any extra bulletin board material.