ESPN names ‘fatal flaw’ that could keep Alabama from winning national title
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The College Football Playoff selection committee raised eyebrows across the sport on Tuesday night when it placed the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 5 in its initial rankings despite the program’s 6-2 record.
Kalen DeBoer’s squad looked like one of the best teams in the country through the first 5 weeks of play, but the Tide have struggled to maintain that consistency as of late, leaving plenty of fans puzzled by the committee’s decision to rank them so highly.
The folks at the top of the sport clearly believe Alabama is a still legitimate contender to hoist the CFP trophy in January, but ESPN analyst Bill Connelly believes the team’s tendency to surrender negative plays could ultimately derail those championship aspirations.
Led by tantalizing redshirt freshman quarterback Keelon Russell, Alabama averaged 49.6 PPG over its first five contests,” Connelly writes. “Defenses almost always adapt to young quarterbacks, however, especially in the SEC. In losses to Georgia and Tennessee, Russell saw his INT rate rise (from 1.9% in wins to 3.4%), his sack rate rise (from 7.4% to 13.2%) and his average yards per dropback plummet (from 9.7 to 4.8). There’s only one elite defense left on the regular-season schedule, but it’s LSU’s — the Tigers create more negative plays than anyone.
Russell looked nearly untouchable through the first third of the season, but, as Connelly suggests, opposing defenses have begun to adjust, and the former five-star recruit has struggled to maintain that early-season production.
If Russell can’t rediscover the form he displayed during the opening weeks of the season and find a way to avoid the costly negative plays Connelly highlighted, Alabama could have a difficult time making a deep postseason run, even if it manages to secure a spot in the CFP.
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