Alabama fans have become spoiled in recent years. Four national championships in seven years with three double-digit wins throughout that span can do that to a fan base. So, dream scenarios are a little more challenging. Whereas, a 10-win season might be a dream scenario for a school like Vanderbilt, such a result would probably qualify as a disappointment for the Crimson Tide. Let’s get creative:

  1. Alabama runs the table and wins the national championship. Yes, it’s boring, but isn’t this also the dream of every team?
  2. Alabama loses for a third straight season to Ole Miss but as in 2015, the Tide win tiebreakers and roll through the end of the season to a second straight national championship. It’s not scenario No. 1, but as long as Nick Saban is smiling and holding the trophy at the end of the season, all will be well with the Alabama faithful. In this scenario, Alabama would have to beat LSU at Death Valley.
  3. Alabama loses to Tennessee during the regular season. Alabama then exacts revenge on the Vols in the SEC Championship Game and goes on to win it all. Of course, this scenario involves Alabama beating LSU at Death Valley, beating Auburn at home, then getting a bear off its shoulders by shaking off back-to-back defeats against Ole Miss. The 2011 season showed ample proof one loss can be devastating at the time it occurs, but nothing is quite as sweet as the taste of lopsided revenge.

With Alabama being a preseason favorite to repeat as national champs, the number of ways the season can turn into a disaster grows exponentially. The smallest misstep and national title aspirations can be thrown out faster than a Kenyan Drake kickoff return TD. We start with the most unlikely (which are very unlikely) and move to more plausible scenarios, all of them gut-wrenching:

  1. Nick Saban resigns following an embarrassing opening loss to the USC Trojans. The previous most likely successor, Kirby Smart, flourishes at Georgia, leading the Bulldogs to the SEC East crown. Interim head coach Lane Kiffin struggles to win close games as the team limps to a 6-6 record, including a home loss to Auburn. Alabama is relegated to a lower-tier bowl game and Kiffin bolts to become LSU’s offensive coordinator, taking quarterback Blake Barnett with him as a transfer.

We said we were going to start with the most unlikely. Is this apocalyptic scenario far-fetched? Of course, but not since grown men wept at Bear Bryant’s funeral has an Alabama coach been so beloved by fans. Producing four national titles in just seven years endears you to the fan base. While we live in a much different era, it is still the worst nightmare of every Alabama fan that Nick Saban leaves Tuscaloosa in the near future. Sure, he could continue to groom Kiffin or Jeremy Pruitt for the role, but they would still qualify as relative unknown commodities. Some might even argue Kiffin is a known commodity as a head coach and not one Alabama fans wish to see as the executive director of the program at Alabama. Saban has produced a treasure trove of trophies while earning his own statue, and fans want to see it stay that way for a little while longer.

  1. While Alabama has a tremendous season, the team loses to Auburn on a late field goal. Jonathan Franklin lives up to the Nick Marshall comparisons, guiding Auburn to the College Football Playoff. Relegated to the Sugar Bowl, Alabama looks terrible and loses to Oklahoma — again.
  2. Cam Robinson suffers a season-ending injury. The thin offensive line becomes rail-thin. Running backs Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris struggle as a result. The starting quarterback struggles under pressure. Alabama loses a number of low-scoring games, including at home against Auburn. After an awful season on The Plains, embattled head coach Gus Malzahn stirs Auburn’s emotions to a win, making the defeat all the more humiliating. Completely frustrated with the offense, defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt accepts an offer to rival Auburn to take over for Malzahn.