The Alabama Crimson Tide have lost a lot off their 2012 National Championship-winning roster but Nick Saban’s crews never rebuilds, they simply reload.
The same is the case for their current team that is set to kickoff the campaign against the Michigan Wolverines. The Crimson Tide graduated eight players to the NFL, including five that were taken among the first 35 selections of the 2012 NFL Draft. Safety Mark Barron, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, linebackers Courtney Upshaw and Dont’a Hightower were vital contributors to an impeccable defense that suffocated opponents last season. Even so, few people in Tuscaloosa are not worrying about the Tide’s defensive potential or their national dominance overall.
Their offense should be more capable this season, strong argument that would make Alabama Crimson Tide a heavy favorite on the college football picks. With one of the most experienced, talented offensive lines in the country, they’ll continue to slow games down, pound their opponents into the dirt and grind away games. To expect last season’s record-setting success on defense is a tad unrealistic, so the offense may have to shoulder the load some more. By all accounts, that won’t be a problem.
But make no mistakes about it: why the Crimson Tide are still the cream of the crop in the SEC is because of their defense. Not only just the front line talent but the depth as well. LSU has booted one of their biggest playmakers off the team in cornerback Tyrann Mathieu and while Georgia is expected to have a stellar unit, they don’t boast Alabama’s depth.
The Tide will have new faces in new places but Saban works wonders getting his players prepared. His team “slumped” to 10-3 after their national championship win three years ago and this year’s unit is focused on not allowing that type of a letdown again. We’ll know all we need to know about the Tide this September as they start the season with No. 8 Michigan and then visit No. 10 Arkansas 14 days later. If they can get through that clean, they’ll be on course for another run at the national championship.
