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The 2022 college football season has been a trying one for the Alabama Crimson Tide. For the first time since 2010, Alabama has lost multiple games before the Iron Bowl, and the fact those losses came against bitter rivals Tennessee and LSU only makes them sting more. The Tide are also out of the SEC race, and almost certainly out of the College Football Playoff race as well.
However, not all is lost for Alabama. The Tide earned their best win of the season by beating No. 11 Ole Miss on the road Saturday, a huge win considering their previous road struggles this season. They also placed ninth in last week's CFP rankings, and will likely rise thanks to some upsets ahead of them.
Alabama will almost certainly reach 10 wins, with a good chance at 11 in a bowl game. The expectation at Alabama is championship or bust, but it's important to consider perspective for a moment. Almost any other program in the country would love to have a 10-win season with a premier bowl game.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. The Tide still have some work to do before they can look ahead to the postseason. Let's go over a few key things Alabama must do to consider 2022 a success.
3. Win out
This is the most obvious point on the list, but still the most important. Alabama has two extremely easy games to close out the regular season, at home against Austin Peay and Auburn. If the Tide somehow lose one of these games, it would turn this season from a disappointment to a monumental failure.
Where it gets interesting is who Alabama will play in its bowl game. The Tide will almost certainly make a New Year's Six bowl, but the question is which one. Many are predicting them to go to the Orange Bowl, with some also predicting the Sugar and Cotton Bowls.
Alabama could face a variety of opponents depending on which bowl they go to. ESPN's Kyle Bonagura and CBS' Jerry Palm predict the Tide will face a familiar foe in the Orange Bowl, Clemson. Other potential opponents include North Carolina, TCU and even UCF.
Regardless of who the Tide face, they will be heavy favorites. To consider this season even a modest success, Alabama must win a New Year's Six bowl.
2. Fix the play-calling
If there's one man who has drawn the ire of Alabama fans this year, it's offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. The former Houston Texans head coach became the Tide's play-caller in 2021, and it worked out well last season. This season has been a very different story, though.
Yes, Alabama is still averaging over 450 yards and 40 points per game, but the play-calling has been an issue. The Tide's biggest flaw this season has been the receiver position, where they have struggled to find consistency. The execution hasn't been perfect, but a lot of that issue falls on O'Brien's scheming.
Alabama has arguably its best quarterback ever in Bryce Young, but poor play-calling has let him down. If O'Brien wants to keep his job in 2023, he has to improve his play-calling in the final stretch of this season.
1. Develop the young stars
Alabama football works like a conveyor belt: As elite players leave, new ones step right into replace them. That starts with elite recruiting, as the Tide are consistently near the top of recruiting rankings. In fact, Alabama is the most talented team in the country this year, according to 247sports' talent composite.
Of Alabama's 14 former five-star recruits, tied with Ohio State for second-most in the country, nine of them are freshman or sophomores. Some of those players, including sophomores Dallas Turner, Ja'Corey Brooks and Kool-Aid McKinstry, have already become key players for the Tide. However, most of the freshman have seen very limited playing time, if any at all.
These players are the future of the program, and will play a key role next season with all the players leaving. Obviously, Nick Saban plays to win first and foremost, but he may want to consider giving the young guns some more playing time down the stretch. If the Tide are winning in a blowout, then why not give them some reps?
Additionally, many Alabama players may opt-out of the bowl game to protect their draft stock. If that happens, then the young players should get some snaps to prepare for next season. As long as they can maintain their redshirt, assuming Saban wants that, then more snaps can only help.
