TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – Alabama is back on top. For the first time since last year’s unforgettable loss to LSU at Bryant-Denny, the University of Alabama Crimson Tide is the No. 1 team in college football. They boast the nations 3rd total offense and 48th total defense. It’s safe to say the undefeated Crimson Tide will make the CFB Playoffs, barring an absolute collapse.
Just how far can this Alabama team go? Alabama has the benefit of playing in the SEC, a conference where half the teams sport a sub-50 ranking in the AP Polls. The Tide’s offensive achievements, however, cannot be understated. The dynamic Crimson Tide offense is ranked 3rd in the nation, producing an impressive 3,331 yards of total offense. This has resulted in 34 offensive touchdowns and an average of 555.2 yards per game.
For three weeks, the defense wasn’t doing Mac Jones and company any favors. In their first 3 games, the Tide’s defense allowed 19 points to Missouri’s 73rd ranked total offense, 24 points to Texas A&M’s half-decent 24th offense, and a near-damning 48 points to Ole Miss’s 4th ranked offense in the NCAA. The numbers are exactly what you’d expect from an average Alabama defense, big yardage to good offenses. What changed? Freshman and Sophomores across the defense finally bought in.
Since their win against the Bulldogs, Alabama’s defense has risen from 66th to 48th in the NCAA. The 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide defense has allowed a respectable 2335 offensive yards in their six total games. This includes 16 offensive TDs and an average of 389.2 yards allowed per game. This is in no way a terrible defense. I would go so far as to say the Tide have a GOOD defense, the unfortunate reality is the competition they may face in December and January is much better than some of the SEC’s bottom feeders.
After compiling the numbers, I’ve managed to summarize the games Alabama has played so far. The resulting numbers are what I like to call the South-Eastern Culmination Team. For short, the SEC Team. The ‘SEC Team’ – the culmination of the total offensive and defensive stats of all six of the SEC opponents this Tide team have faced this year. The SEC Team will ironically replace Auburn at 51st in total defense, allowing a modest 391.2 yards per game. They will also, again ironically, replace Georgia at 57th in total offense with 404.7 yards per game.
The SEC Team is a run-of-the-mill college team. This team is purely average in the realm of college football. On offense, this team would’ve raked up 2,114 yards and 15 TDs. This would make my hypothetical SEC Team’s total offense better than Tennessee (97th), Mississippi State (90th), Missouri (73rd), and Georgia (57th [58th in my example]).
Again, this is not to say Alabama’s defense is bad. Alabama’s defense is surprisingly good, forcing a shut-out against Mississippi State and holding then-3rd Georgia to 0 second-half points for a final score of 41-24. The Crimson Tide defense is young, scrappy, and most importantly, hungry. They have grown and improved each week and proven themselves on an inter-conference stage. How will they preform against powerhouses like Notre Dame, Clemson, and Ohio State? This team will win as many games as the offense can muster, but whether or not they finish this season with their 18th National Championship is up to the defense to decide.
