Will Alabama go undefeated? SEC Network analysts predict the Tide’s final record
By Kevin Duffey
Published:
Virtually everyone has Alabama winning the SEC Championship for the fourth straight year and making it to the College Football Playoff once more.
What the Crimson Tide have done under Nick Saban has been virtually incredible. Winning SEC games and championships looks easy in Tuscaloosa, and it’s a testament to the coaching staff and players.
Former Vanderbilt QB Jordan Rodgers and former LSU DL Marcus Spears hopped on the SEC Network to predict every Alabama game this season. The duo said the Tide have just three unknowns on their schedule this season: FSU, LSU and Auburn.
Of the three “unknown” games, Spears says Alabama will beat FSU because of the preparation. He also thinks that while LSU will be improved this season, it won’t be enough against Alabama. Spears also thinks that Auburn QB Jarrett Stidham will be a very good player, but Stidham solely isn’t good enough to beat Alabama, thus giving the Crimson Tide a perfect 12-0 regular season en route to another SEC Championship Game appearance.
Rodgers, on the other hand, predicts that Alabama will finish 11-1, losing the season opener to Florida State.
“We got a young quarterback (Jalen Hurts) that’s now on his third offensive coordinator in his first two years,” Rodgers said. “That’s tough on a quarterback. The development of the offense at this point in the season is not quite going to be where I think it needs to be for Florida State in the development of Jalen Hurts as a passer. In order for Alabama to win those big ones, you gotta make a big play in the passing game. He’s going to get there, not week one. That’s going to be the biggest difference for me.”
Even if the Tide were to lose to FSU, the College Football Playoff is obviously still in play, and it’s likely the two could meet again for all the marbles.
Now, we all await Alabama’s incredible season opener against Florida State.
A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.
