Josh Pate said on his show this week that even though the consensus of Alabama football entering 2023 is that the Crimson Tide might be down without a proven star at quarterback, Alabama can still win a national championship because it still has more talent than anyone else in the country.

Speaking on his show, The Late Kick with Josh Pate, the college football expert compared Alabama’s perception to a gas gauge. With Georgia claiming back-to-back national titles, LSU looking impressive in Year 1 under Brian Kelly, and the QB spot looking unsettled heading into the summer in Tuscaloosa, Pate suggested folks might think the Alabama gas tank is running on empty.

Not so fast.

“Bama always operates on a full tank,” Pate said. “They’re always used to being so much more talented than everyone. … In reality, they’re gonna out-talent most everyone they play still even if you consider them down or vulnerable. They’ve got studs everywhere.”

The No. 1 recruiting class in the country during the 2023 cycle belonged to Alabama. Nick Saban signed 9 recruits labeled as 5-star prospects. The Big 12 signed 9 as a conference. The ACC and Pac-12 each signed 6.

When the folks at 247Sports put out the 2023 Talent Composite closer to the new season, Alabama will be at or near the top as it always is.

And, as Pate points out, if it’s a locker room that feels like it has something to prove, that becomes a very dangerous team.

“They are ridiculously loaded,” Pate said. “They’ve got them all over the place. Just not at quarterback. Well, what that can do to a team — and I’m sure Nick Saban’s gunning for this — is it can convince them their tank’s a lot closer to E than it really is. And if you get an Alabama team that’s convinced it’s running on empty, Jackson Brown made a great song out of it, Alabama could make a great season out of it.

“That team right there can win a national championship this year. Don’t kid yourself. There is no program out there that is complete.”

Check out Pate’s full comments on the Alabama quarterback situation below (which begin at the 39:34 mark):