It seems everyone is always chasing Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, and this season is no different.

Alabama did lose the College Football Playoff Title Game to Clemson last season, but the Crimson Tide remain the only team to make the CFP every season of its existence. Alabama is also the only school with multiple championships (four) since 2007 when Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama is certainly the premier program in the SEC and ESPN’s Tommy Tuberville believes the impact goes beyond just the southeast.

Creg Stephenson with AL.com shared Tuberville’s comments.

“The SEC hasn’t just been Alabama and everybody else,” Tuberville said. “The whole country has been Alabama and everybody else.”

The former Ole Miss and Auburn head coach took time to highlight Saban’s success as a recruiter and developer, and he sees the emergence of Jalen Hurts last season as an incredible move for Alabama.

“Nick’s done a great job recruiting, but you’ve got to evaluate and develop them when they get there,” explained Tuberville. “I’ve seen a whole lot of five stars in my lifetime that wasn’t a two-star. That’s been Nick’s forte, is going after the right ones and getting the right ones.

I thought there was a little crack in the armor last year when they started. I didn’t think they had a quarterback. Then Jalen Hurts walked out there, and made them so much better…That kid got them to the championship game singlehandedly on offense. It’s kind of unfair now that Nick has got a quarterback that can run.”

Tuberville did pick one team and ex-Saban assistant that he believes will eventually compete with Alabama at the top of the SEC.

“At Georgia, Kirby (Smart)’s a great hire,” Tuberville said. “Last year, they had a great recruiting class, just his first year going in. He will bring that program back. Not that Mark (Richt) didn’t win games. But they couldn’t get to the promised land. Kirby will put them competitive on the same level with Alabama.”

It will be interesting to see if and when someone can knock off Alabama from the top of the SEC. As for now, Saban, Hurts, and company look like they will be tough to beat.