Bama's dominance may take a hiatus this season

[7Samurai13]

While I think he is a giant dbag, Jimbo will beat either Saban or Cajun man this year. I see his team being dangerous in the SEC-W this year.

We here this all the time about how *insert SEC team* is going to be dangerous and it never pans out. Tennessee, Florida, And aTm most recently.

 

[Gatorchip]

We here this all the time about how *insert SEC team* is going to be dangerous and it never pans out. Tennessee, Florida, And aTm most recently.

Florida did pretty good last season and was a surprise to most. Including Florida fans.

Who said they were going to be dangerous?

 

[BamaDude]

While I think he is a giant dbag, Jimbo will beat either Saban or Cajun man this year. I see his team being dangerous in the SEC-W this year.

A&M beat Cajun Man last year. But it took 7 overtimes. I don't see them doing that this year - especially not in Baton Rouge. And the Aggies will be licking their wounds after playing Georgia between the hedges the week before.

Perhaps a better question would be whether or not Virginia Tech will beat Old Dominion this weekend?

 

[Tin Man]

Bammers: blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... Saban. Roll Tide.






It's older than the joke, Take my wife... Please!

 

[BamaDude]

Bammers: blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... Saban. Roll Tide.






It's older than the joke, Take my wife... Please!

Speaking of jokes, what has Vols football become, lately?

 

[RobToxin]

Tennessee wins the SEC!

Book it!

 

[Tin Man]

Speaking of jokes, what has Vols football become, lately?

That's even older than a priest, a minister, and a rabbi walk into a bar...

 

[Deep Creek]

Someone tell me what I'm missing. If I am looking at this correctly, Bama's last four recruiting classes were ranked:

2019 - #1
2018 - #5
2017 - #1
2016 - #1

Did all that talent enter the transfer portal? Did it fly off into a black hole somehwere? Are they all ineligible?.....

And I realize some of the players are now playing on Sundays, but Bama has previously lost players to the NFL early and often replaced 'em with some just as good or even better!

They get their butt beat badly once by a damn good team and Chicken Little and/or the Little Shepherd Boy seem to be everywhere!

 

[LawDawg]

If you have avatars for Bama, LSU and Clemson you have a thin claim to being a Bama fan to me, but hey, to each his own.

I liked our chances with Dylan, I like them less without him, but I'd still put them of ahead of anybody else.

Instead of attacking the messenger, how about pointing out where he is wrong. He's describing 1st world problems ... as you point out in one of your responses it's not like you don't still have a ton of talent. There aren't many teams that would turn down a total roster swap with Alabama today. And, he didn't say your were going 9-3 or something. Candidly, he did a really good job at pointing out some shortcomings you do have this year. If you think his eval is wrong, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Maybe start with your MLB situation.

 

[LawDawg]

Honestly, I am not up on 'Bama's personnel issues but, it seems to me the rise of some programs has sucked a little air out of their recruiting.

It is ... Clemson and UGA in particular are getting players they would have historically landed. The top players in the state of Alabama the past few years have gone to UGA and Clemson, not Bama. Someone like Nakobe Dean would have gone to Bama in the past, he goes to UGA instead. They are still recruiting at the highest levels, just have some others that are right there with them. Let's say they aren't as deep at 5* as they used to be, a talent problem that all of us would love to have.

 

[BoiseMike19]

@bamabear82 should put his foot up your ass

Meh, @bamabear82 would do it in such a sarcastic and unassuming way you wouldn't even know the size 12 was there until the next day. At that point the sting sets in and he going to want the shoe back and it better be clean.

 

[BoiseMike19]

Bammers: blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... Saban. Roll Tide.






It's older than the joke, Take my wife... Please!

Isn't she like 65? I don't care what she is asking for....nope.

 

[OUGuy1999]

I would add to this that the transfer portal (although affecting all the upper tier teams) may hurt Alabama more than most. It was not long ago that Alabama was THE dominant recruiter. Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State and lately Oklahoma and even Texas have been cutting into this near monopoly Alabama had. I expect, the long term effect is going to be a dwindling of the depth of upper tier depth with Alabama probably get hit the hardest.

It is ... Clemson and UGA in particular are getting players they would have historically landed. The top players in the state of Alabama the past few years have gone to UGA and Clemson, not Bama. Someone like Nakobe Dean would have gone to Bama in the past, he goes to UGA instead. They are still recruiting at the highest levels, just have some others that are right there with them. Let's say they aren't as deep at 5* as they used to be, a talent problem that all of us would love to have.

I personally believe some of this is brought about by the new Playoff system. Kids want to win championships, they don't just want to be apart of a championship team, but play in the game and win it. In the past during the BCS era you only had a few teams at the top that remotely had a chance getting to the big game. With Saban's recruiting abilities and how good bama was getting, it was easy to say to kids, "do you want a ring, ill get you a ring" and with the past several years of being at the top it was easy to say yes just because they knew they could at least be apart of it.

Now, with the new system you have 4 teams that can get a shot of holding the title, and you are starting to see that allowing games to be played instead of voting them in (of course we still kinda do that) some teams are showing they have what it takes if given a chance to play. Now all of those players that may have had to sit 3 years on the bench waiting their turn are seeing other options to get to play right away and get a possible shot at the title.

I would imagine if the CFP was to add 4 more teams in you would see even more of a spread of talent going all over the place, of course you will still have some teams that seem to stay at the top for a good period of time, but you will also start seeing more schools being able to challenge them due to better recruiting. All in all, i think the last 4 years of the CFP are starting to show how it can start effecting recruiting for schools like Bama who would promise the ring and still can but its a lot harder to grab these days.

 

[UNA Lion]

Yeah, Bama may have to settle for just a ten-win season

… which is to them a losing record.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Even before the injuries started piling up, I had a gnawing feeling that Alabama's unprecedented 5-year playoff run might be coming to a close this season. The reasons are listed below.

1. Alabama has had to replace several experienced members of its defense for multiple seasons in a row, due to both graduating seniors and early NFL departees. I know the Tide has weathered this phenomena for quite a while, but it really showed last year when the defensive points per game ballooned from 11.9 to 18.1. They lost even more experienced players following the 2018 season.

2. Assistant coaching turnovers. This is another area where the Tide has been efficient in rolling along; but after 13 departures in two years, the lack of continuity is bound to start showing an effect. The offensive staff last year helped the team improve from 37.1 points and 444 yards per game to 45.6 points and 522 ypg. All the major coaching contributors are gone from that staff, and I don't believe that Steve Sarkisian's crew can match that output.

3. Relative health & readiness of returning personnel. It's good to have Tua Tagovailoa back at QB, but we don't know yet if he is fully recovered - both physically and mentally - from the injuries he sustained last year. Will he be as mobile as he once was, and be able to plant his foot and make the kinds of throws he has in the past? Will pain or fear of pain be a factor in his performance? Will the absence of Jalen Hurts to push him to excel at the QB position be a detrimental factor?

4. Lack of depth at many key positions. We had two very capable quarterbacks last year. This time there is no proven back-up should Tua get hurt. Mack Jones played mostly in mop-up situations & only completed 38.5% of the 13 passes he attempted. Taulia Tagovailoa & Paul Tyson are both freshmen. Are any of those guys ready to step forward if needed?

Running back is another area with a lack of depth. We had three guys last year that could have started at most other SEC schools, plus a 4th guy that progressed quite a bit as the season wore on. Two of the top three are in the NFL now, and the other two are suspended for the first half of the season opener. There's no proven depth behind them.

The offensive line is in rebuilding mode, and the defensive line and linebacking corps are thin on overall experience. At least two defensive starters may miss the entire season due to injuries, with two freshmen starting in their place.

The best news is that practically our entire receiving corps is back. We also have an experienced secondary, although they gave up a lot of big plays during the last few games of the season last year.

5. Special teams continues to be a weak point, but may be getting a shot in the arm if true freshman Will Reichard lives up to his performance from his kicking days in high school. Maybe Skyler DeLong can improve on his 34.4 yards per punt average. Kick coverage is usually pretty tight, and there are break-away threats in the return game.

6. Injuries. There seems to be more players than usual on the moderate-to-severely injured list heading into this weekend's opener. At least two players - maybe more - are thought to be lost for the season. Several more could miss from one to four games, and a few others are in the may play if they don't get re-injured category. Most of these are lower leg injuries. Two are bad knee injuries. Makes me wonder if there is something amiss with the training staff?

With the internal stuff out of the way, we now turn to the opponents. Teams most likely to have a chance at beating the Crimson Tide are Auburn on the road on Nov. 30th, and Georgia in a potential SEC Championship Game rematch a week later. With a few bad breaks, the Tide could also be in for a hard time at Texas A&M on Oct. 12th or at home against LSU on Nov. 9th.

If the combination of lack of depth and experience doesn't derail the Tide somewhere during the season, then they may well be on their way to a sixth straight playoff appearance. But, even if they don't get there this year, I expect them to be back in 2020.

Let me go ahead and clear this up for you

Auburn - needed poor coaching on the other sideline just to beat Oregon, Bama will win easily

Georgia- Georgia won't beat Alabama until Saban retires at this point

A&M - LOL

LSU - LSU's "new and improved" offense will wilt against Alabama as always

Not only will Alabama not miss the playoff, there's no one on their schedule that can beat them!

Worst case is losing to their ex-QB and Oklahoma in the playoff and not making the natty as a result

 

[amszete]

A&M beat Cajun Man last year. But it took 7 overtimes. I don't see them doing that this year - especially not in Baton Rouge. And the Aggies will be licking their wounds after playing Georgia between the hedges the week before.

Perhaps a better question would be whether or not Virginia Tech will beat Old Dominion this weekend?

Dont get your panties all bunched up. It's a matter of time before he beats Saban. I would think you would agree with all of your dominance lost for the year bullshit everyone is dogging you for...

 

[LawDawg]

I personally believe some of this is brought about by the new Playoff system. Kids want to win championships, they don't just want to be apart of a championship team, but play in the game and win it. In the past during the BCS era you only had a few teams at the top that remotely had a chance getting to the big game. With Saban's recruiting abilities and how good bama was getting, it was easy to say to kids, "do you want a ring, ill get you a ring" and with the past several years of being at the top it was easy to say yes just because they knew they could at least be apart of it.

Now, with the new system you have 4 teams that can get a shot of holding the title, and you are starting to see that allowing games to be played instead of voting them in (of course we still kinda do that) some teams are showing they have what it takes if given a chance to play. Now all of those players that may have had to sit 3 years on the bench waiting their turn are seeing other options to get to play right away and get a possible shot at the title.

I would imagine if the CFP was to add 4 more teams in you would see even more of a spread of talent going all over the place, of course you will still have some teams that seem to stay at the top for a good period of time, but you will also start seeing more schools being able to challenge them due to better recruiting. All in all, i think the last 4 years of the CFP are starting to show how it can start effecting recruiting for schools like Bama who would promise the ring and still can but its a lot harder to grab these days.

Interesting take ... need to think through that.

 

[The Oldtimer]

Even before the injuries started piling up, I had a gnawing feeling that Alabama's unprecedented 5-year playoff run might be coming to a close this season. The reasons are listed below.

1. Alabama has had to replace several experienced members of its defense for multiple seasons in a row, due to both graduating seniors and early NFL departees. I know the Tide has weathered this phenomena for quite a while, but it really showed last year when the defensive points per game ballooned from 11.9 to 18.1. They lost even more experienced players following the 2018 season.

2. Assistant coaching turnovers. This is another area where the Tide has been efficient in rolling along; but after 13 departures in two years, the lack of continuity is bound to start showing an effect. The offensive staff last year helped the team improve from 37.1 points and 444 yards per game to 45.6 points and 522 ypg. All the major coaching contributors are gone from that staff, and I don't believe that Steve Sarkisian's crew can match that output.

3. Relative health & readiness of returning personnel. It's good to have Tua Tagovailoa back at QB, but we don't know yet if he is fully recovered - both physically and mentally - from the injuries he sustained last year. Will he be as mobile as he once was, and be able to plant his foot and make the kinds of throws he has in the past? Will pain or fear of pain be a factor in his performance? Will the absence of Jalen Hurts to push him to excel at the QB position be a detrimental factor?

4. Lack of depth at many key positions. We had two very capable quarterbacks last year. This time there is no proven back-up should Tua get hurt. Mack Jones played mostly in mop-up situations & only completed 38.5% of the 13 passes he attempted. Taulia Tagovailoa & Paul Tyson are both freshmen. Are any of those guys ready to step forward if needed?

Running back is another area with a lack of depth. We had three guys last year that could have started at most other SEC schools, plus a 4th guy that progressed quite a bit as the season wore on. Two of the top three are in the NFL now, and the other two are suspended for the first half of the season opener. There's no proven depth behind them.

The offensive line is in rebuilding mode, and the defensive line and linebacking corps are thin on overall experience. At least two defensive starters may miss the entire season due to injuries, with two freshmen starting in their place.

The best news is that practically our entire receiving corps is back. We also have an experienced secondary, although they gave up a lot of big plays during the last few games of the season last year.

5. Special teams continues to be a weak point, but may be getting a shot in the arm if true freshman Will Reichard lives up to his performance from his kicking days in high school. Maybe Skyler DeLong can improve on his 34.4 yards per punt average. Kick coverage is usually pretty tight, and there are break-away threats in the return game.

6. Injuries. There seems to be more players than usual on the moderate-to-severely injured list heading into this weekend's opener. At least two players - maybe more - are thought to be lost for the season. Several more could miss from one to four games, and a few others are in the may play if they don't get re-injured category. Most of these are lower leg injuries. Two are bad knee injuries. Makes me wonder if there is something amiss with the training staff?

With the internal stuff out of the way, we now turn to the opponents. Teams most likely to have a chance at beating the Crimson Tide are Auburn on the road on Nov. 30th, and Georgia in a potential SEC Championship Game rematch a week later. With a few bad breaks, the Tide could also be in for a hard time at Texas A&M on Oct. 12th or at home against LSU on Nov. 9th.

If the combination of lack of depth and experience doesn't derail the Tide somewhere during the season, then they may well be on their way to a sixth straight playoff appearance. But, even if they don't get there this year, I expect them to be back in 2020.

Who will beat Bama in the SEC, Georgia maybe, LSU could be, besides those two who really has a chance to win the SEC. IMO, you are trying to make excuses in advance. There are many college football programs that lose players through injuries, graduations and coaching turnover. I don't see anyone beating Bama this year, except maybe Georgia or LSU.

 

[The Oldtimer]

Sounds like a bunch of excuse making.

Exactly!!!

 

[The Oldtimer]

I'd do it if my guys have a four win season!

D.C. did you just jump onto the Bama bandwagon?