14-in-14 2023: Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama missed the playoff last year and did not live up to expectations. Will Nick Saban get the Tide back on track in 2023?
By: The Waco Kid
Spend my dollar (On beer!). Parked in a holler ‘neath the mountain moonlight (Roll Tide!). Hold her up tight…Tide fans will know the rest, but if you don’t know it, we’ll let you look it up. The Tide faithful’s dirty little adaptation of an Alabama classic song makes one have to question, “Is Bryant-Denny truly a Dixieland Delight?” For competitors and opposing fans alike, the answer is a resounding “No.” Not only is it a hostile environment but almost every year under Nick Saban it has been the home of a National Championship contender. Teams do not enter Tuscaloosa with many goals outside of survival. Some may take on the gladiator and strike in an off year but most are run out of this coliseum with a loss and dashed dreams.
State of the Program: 10/12 biscuits. Top-tier and with a return to the playoffs and a natty, they can earn Grandma’s 100-year-old recipe.
Lil’ Wayne said it best “If you got beef we’ll put the biscuits on the patty.” Alabama will take all of the beef between conference rivals and put it right in its place, between the layers of the 10 biscuits that we are giving them. This is likely the highest ranking we will give any team that did not make the playoffs or at least made a push for it in 2022. The fact of the matter is, while outsiders will say the SEC is top-heavy, we are seeing a change throughout the conference. No longer is it just Georgia and Alabama, rather we are seeing Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and even South Carolina rack up 8 wins all against each other.
Just think about that, these 8 win teams are counting Ws against other top competition to the point where the second tier of the conference is almost becoming a yearly toss-up. I mean LSU with nine wins made the SEC championship game based purely on who they beat in the West. You take that team and put them in the Pac-12 and they make playoffs, hands down. Alabama is still atop the West until they can consistently be beaten year after year, that is why they deserve 10 biscuits because there is not much more they can do besides live up to the impossible standard they have set for themselves.
The state of the program will always be strong as long as Saban is leading the charge. Every year they are expected to win 11 or more games and be in natty conversation, so for now, we will continue to hold them in the highest regard until proven otherwise.
What went right in 2022
There were certain individual performances that you can point to, such as Bryce Young, Jahmyr Gibbs, and DeMarcco Hellams, but overall, Alabama did not live up to the sky-high expectations for the program. You can say Alabama’s 45-20 Sugar Bowl victory over Kansas State could be considered a win for the program. They won’t see it as such since K-State is in a joke of a conference and the Sugar Bowl was not the desired destination. However, it is always good to end the season on a high note even if you fall short of expectations. So the Tide rolls into 2023 with a promise to capitalize on that momentum from last year. Their win over Auburn was probably the highlight of the season as they were expected to notch a victory in every other W they tallied. They did beat the Mississippi schools, Arkansas, and A&M but no one was surprised by that. To put it best, it was a dull year for Alabama, they won 11 but not necessarily the games that mattered.
What went wrong in 2022
Two losses and no playoff berth. Simple as that. To add insult to injury their two losses were in huge rivalry games and probably were games they could have won any other year. Sitting in that locker room in Tuscaloosa, knowing you lost to Tennessee and LSU must make players and coaches’ blood boil. Another huge issue was their defense. They gave up 20 points or more in seven games!! Texas doesn’t count because not only did they not score 20 on the Tide, they are not a formidable opponent. I cannot remember the last time a Saban-coached defense allowed that many points over that many games. It was very uncharacteristic, especially with the talent they possessed on the defensive side of the ball.
While the offense scored 40 PPG under Bill O’Brien in ‘22, the fan base soured on him as a playcaller. DC Pete Golding also took the brunt of the criticism for giving up 52 to Tennessee and 32 to LSU in stunning losses.
It would be uncharacteristic of a Saban-coached program because he preaches against it all the time, but it almost seems like once the Natty is out of reach they relax a little bit and lose some grit. If they want to succeed in 2023, they’ve got to go pedal to the metal and never stop the brutality and intensity that we are used to seeing from those who dorn the Crimson and White. They need joyless murderball.
What the Tide need in 2023
Everyone is saying it, but that’s because it’s true: consistent quarterback play is the key to Bama’s success in 2023. They have been worry-free at the position for as long as we can remember. From Bryce Young to Tua to Jalen Hurts to Mac Jones. All four of whom are slated to be NFL starters come kickoff on September 7th. Oh, and let’s not forget Hurts is just coming off a record year in which he led his team to the Super Bowl. This year is a whole new story. As of now, there are three guys competing for the coveted starting position. Jalen Milroe, Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner, and former five-star Ty Simpson. Ultimately, I believe it will be between Milroe and Buchner. Whoever takes the Iron (Bowl) Throne will need to perform at a high level to get the Tide back into the playoff race after taking a year-long hiatus. They also return two playmakers at the wide receiver position in Jermaine Burton and Ja’Corey Brooks. Both look to be the next dynamic duo the Tide supplies to the NFL. Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams will fill the shoes of Jamyhr Gibbs, which will be no easy feet (pun). McClellan quietly messed around and rushed for 655 yards and 7 touchdowns as a backup last year, with Williams adding 250 yards and 4 TDs. McClellan’s numbers are starting numbers for many programs.
The defense will also need to get back to its prior form. While always impressive, last season's team seemed to score with a little more ease and they cannot afford another effort like that. Bama does return top cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry who is regarded as one of the best in the nation. He will try to lead this defense back into the Saban promised land and burst onto the national scene as a top NFL draft prospect.
The Tide also need the new coordinators to step up. Bill O’Brien left for New England after the season and Pete Golding was hired away by Lane Kiffin to takeover the Ole Miss defense. Enter new OC Tommy Rees from Notre Dame and Kevin Steele from everywhere. It’s likely that Alabama will run the ball more this year while Steele will be expected to batten down the hatches with a talented Bama defense.
How they can earn some extra biscuits
There are only two biscuits to earn and those come with another playoff nod and a National Championship trophy. In the past few years, the narrative has seemed to turn towards Georgia being the 2020s dynasty, but all it takes is for Saban to get back on that seahorse like Poseidon and lead the Tide to roll all opponents right off the face of college football relevance. And if anyone can do it, it’s the King of College Football. Kirby Smart may have the upper hand right now, but there are still seven years left for Bama to take their dominance from the 2010s through the 2020s. I want to see a defense that holds teams to under 17 points a game and an offense that relentlessly shatters the willpower of opposing defenses. Anything less than 30+ point blowouts in many games will be considered a failure to everyone surrounding the program.
So, Alabama, please give us a reason to hate you again. College football isn’t the same when fans around the country do not cringe at the thought of you being in the National Championship.
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