Paul Finebaum addresses the ceiling for Alabama if it’s a vintage Nick Saban team
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
Paul Finebaum believes there’s a specific pathway for No. 4 Alabama to return to the College Football Playoff.
The ESPN analyst is adamant that if the Crimson Tide turn back the clock and play a vintage Nick Saban style of football, Alabama will avoid a Playoff-less streak.
Finebaum explained on “McElroy & Cubelic In the Morning” on WJOX that Alabama needs to make some defensive adjustments in order to increase its win total from last season.
“They can probably get away with it offensively as long as 1 thing is true and that’s if the defense is elite,” Finebaum said. “If they can shore up what were some deficiencies last year, then I think they can survive.”
It’s a testament to Alabama’s defensive consistency that Finebaum can nitpick a unit that ranked 9th nationally last season in points per game (18.2). But Finebaum stresses that some of the high-powered offenses on the schedule will pose a major challenge.
“The ultimate concern though is if the defense is not like some of those defenses that your partner was often bailed out by,” Finebaum said. “I don’t know how they will handle certain teams Texas, Ole Miss, LSU, teams that can score a lot of points. I think that’s the 1 unknown.”
Facing off with No. 11 Texas in Week 2 will offer an immediate litmus test for Alabama’s defense. Anchored by quarterback Quinn Ewers, the Longhorns are expected to have one of the deepest offenses in the Big 12.
Alabama begins the regular season with a contest vs. Middle Tennessee on Sept 2.
