If you listen carefully, you can hear the whispers throughout college football that Alabama is not going to be the roaring powerhouse it has been for so many seasons under head coach Nick Saban. While there are no predictions that the program is going through a severe downturn, many observers believe that the Crimson Tide will not be a national championship contender. Former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray is one of those observers.
Some of the preseason rankings include Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Alabama, in that order. Georgia has won back-to-back national championships, and the Bulldogs appear to have become the top program in college football.
Murray estimated that the Crimson Tide could lose as many as 3 games during the 2023 season. “This is a rebuilding year and there is nothing wrong with that,” Murray said. “If they go 10-2 or 9-3, that would really fire me up for how good they'll be in 2024.”
Don't expect Saban to go along with the thinking forwarded by Murray. While the Crimson Tide did not make the College Football Playoff last year, it was not like the team was weak. Alabama recorded an 11-2 record and that included a 45-20 triumph over Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl. The team's two losses came at Tennessee and LSU, and both were on the last play of each game.
Another factor in Alabama's favor is the team appears to be stronger in the trenches than it was last year. If Alabama can control both sides of the line of scrimmage, it's difficult to see Nick Saban getting outcoached by his peers and the Crimson Tide losing key games.
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