You can very well make the case that no state across our great country has had a greater impact on the game of college football over the past decade than Alabama. This is due to the presence of two historical juggernauts with generations of tradition and prestige in the form of Alabama and Auburn, two hated but always respected rivals.

Over the past 9 seasons, the college football national champion has called Alabama home 6 times. That’s unbelievable. Sure, many will be quick to note that Auburn is responsible for only one of those titles, but don’t forget they were 13 seconds away from another in 2013 and we won’t even go down the rabbit hole a bit further back to 2004, when apparently going 13-0 (with 4 wins against top-15 opponents) and winning the SEC Championship wasn’t good enough to warrant a spot in the title game.

There’s a good chance Alabama could be home to the national champions for the 7th time in 10 years this fall, as both the Tigers and Tide are well equipped for a deep run into the Playoff.

Previously we compared their offenses and defenses, breaking down which exactly was better and why. Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that Alabama was the better offense and Auburn was the better defense. Obviously, that’s sure to ruffle the feathers of both fan bases since it’s an objective rather than subjective viewpoint.

Auburn fans have a legitimate claim to make in terms of having the better offense. They have arguably the best QB in the country in Jarrett Stidham, who will strongly contend for the Heisman Trophy before becoming a first-round pick next spring. He also has the proven and veteran receiving corps of Ryan Davis, Darius Slayton and Nate Craig-Myers. Davis as the electric, soft handed slot receiver, Slayton the deep ball threat and Craig-Myers the athletically gifted phenom on the cusp (potentially) of a breakout season. Getting Will Hastings back mid-year from a knee injury will be another boost.

The Tigers will be able to pass the ball, this we’re certain of. Where the uncertainty begins is running the ball, as they have to replace SEC Offensive Player of the Year Kerryon Johnson at RB, who ran for 1,391 yards and 18 TDs, and also added another 24 receptions in the passing game. Kam Martin will get the first opportunity to replace Johnson, with depth being provided by JaTarvious Whitlow, Asa Martin and Malik Miller.

With all of that said, I’m less concerned about the talent at RB than I am about how the offensive line comes together. There’s more than enough talent in the backfield and given the history Auburn has of developing RBs, I have faith there’s a 1,000-yard rusher in there somewhere. But the line is a different story.

They need to replace 4 starters up front, including LG Braden Smith, who was a 3-time All-SEC player. There’s optimism LT Prince Tega-Wanogho and LG Marquel Harrell will be OK, as they at least have some experience. Wanogho has the raw talent to be an All-American but has only been playing the game a short time and Harrell was solid in the second half of last year as a starter. From C to RT will be fresh faces and they’ll need them to come together in a very short amount of time, because the Washington defensive line they’ll face in week 1 is solid and can really get after the QB.

Alabama isn’t without questions on offense, either, though in the opposite places. Whereas Auburn is firmly entrenched at QB and WR and breaking in new starters at RB and along the OL, Alabama is loaded on the OL and RB while working in new starters at QB and WR. I guess we’re slightly jumping the gun by saying they’ll be working in a new starter at QB, but most accounts are indicating Tua Tagovailoa is the favorite for the starting QB job.

Tagovailoa doesn’t have the experience or athleticism of Jalen Hurts, but he does have more timing and touch as a passer, particularly with the deep ball. He’ll open up the Alabama passing attack to levels not seen since the AJ McCarron days, and he has the speed at WR to take advantage of that arm in the form of Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs. Those three are still developing and need seasoning, but their athletic upside is fantastic.

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So, while there’s cautious optimism that Alabama will be able to throw the ball very well, we know they’ll be able to run the ball as well as anyone in the country with a deep stable of backs and a terrific offensive line. RB Damien Harris is practically a lock for a third consecutive 1,000-yard season and a likely first-round pick next spring, and he’s backed up by Najee Harris, who would be the feature back at nearly any other school in the country.

Both will be running behind a line lead by LT Jonah Williams, a 2-time All-SEC pick who also garnered All-American honors last year. He’ll be in the running to be the first OT picked in the 2019 NFL Draft. LG Lester Cotton is one of the more powerful drive blockers in the league. Ross Pierschbacher, after starting the previous three years at LG, looks like an ideal fit at C. RG looks like Jedrick Wills’ job to lose, and he looked good as a true freshman last year. RT will be incumbent Matt Womack or Alex Leatherwood, who was outstanding in the title game filling in for an injured Williams. Overall, this is a very talented group.

Alabama gets the nod over Auburn for better offense because we know their line and backs are good enough to win a title. If what we saw out of Tagovailoa and the younger receivers in the title game were any indication, the unit as a whole will be absolutely electric with great balance.

Defensively, we gave the nod to Auburn over Alabama.

Auburn’s starting defense is talented, experienced and proven. The defensive line, one of the very best in the country, returns 3 starters in DE Marlon Davidson and DTs Derrick Brown (below) and Dontavius Russell. All three could contend for all-conference honors and Brown could very well wind up being picked in the 1st round next spring – he’s that talented. Backup Nick Coe would be a starter at nearly any other school and provides quality depth. Overall this unit can both stop the run and rush the passer, which is what makes it such a formidable group.

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They feature 3 seniors at LB, including a pair of 3rd-year starters in Darrell Williams and Deshaun Davis. Montavious Atkinson may not have as many starts under his belt as those two but has seen action in 23 games over the past two years, so it’s not like he’s green, either. The trio combined for 182 tackles, 12.5 TFLs, 5.5 sacks and 4 fumbles recoveries last year, and they each fill different roles.

Atkinson, a converted safety, is the best in coverage and shows the best range. Williams is very good against the run on the strongside and Davis, the most talented of the bunch and the undisputed leader, does it all, enforcing the run and making plays sideline-to-sideline. T.D. Moultry is the favorite to play the edge rushing “Buck” position, and he’s flashed elite pass rushing potential.

In the secondary the return CB Jamel Dean, who is one of the best draft prospects at his position in the country. At 6-2 he has ideal length to go with his outstanding quickness and speed, making him a nightmare to throw on. Javaris Davis slides into the NB, where his short area quickness and strength against the run make him an ideal fit. Noah Igbinoghene, a former 4-star WR who moonlights as a star on the track team, has shown huge promise as the other starting CB.

Both safeties, Jeremiah Dinson and Daniel Thomas have experience at CB and NB in addition to S, giving them a strong understanding at the back end of the scheme who can make adjustments to coverages. Both are ballhawks who play fast and physical.

As a whole, this is a damn strong defense with very few holes.

They get the nod over Alabama mainly because of the amount of new starters being broken in by the Tide, particularly in the secondary, where they’re replacing their top 6 DBs.

Trevon Diggs and Saivion Smith are expected to get the nod at CB, and both have good size and elite athleticism. They have skill sets to be strong in man coverage, but don’t have a great deal of experience with a combined 15 tackles in their careers and no INTs. Shyheim Carter is expected to replace Fitzpatrick at the ‘Star’ position where he certainly has the IQ, versatility and natural ball skills to thrive, though he’s another guy with little experience.

The same goes at safety where Deionte Thompson and Xavier McKinney are expected to get the nod. Lots of talent, but very much unproven talent at this point.

At linebacker they return a decent amount of experience, especially inside where Mack Wilson (below) and Dylan Moses are slated to start. Both saw valuable time last year when then injury bug hit, and that experience should prove invaluable heading into this season. Both are excellent athletes with great speed, range and playmaking ability.

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At OLB, there’s talent but it’s a group that’s been injury riddled the past year. Anfernee Jennings is one of the best pass rushers in the league, but is coming off a knee injury that required offseason surgery. Christian Miller, who missed most of last season with a biceps injury, is expected to get the start opposite of Jennings after presumed starter Terrell Lewis went down with a torn ACL earlier in the summer. Backup Jamey Mosley is dealing with a shoulder injury. Don’t be surprised if Christopher Allen starts carving out more time as the season goes on considering his pass rush ability.

Up front is where the Tide are at their best, as usual. They need to replace first-round pick Da’Ron Payne at NT, but there’s optimism Quinnen Williams will have a strong year. He doesn’t have typical size for a 3-4 NT at 6-4, 290, but is very quick and can penetrate. They return two grizzled vets at DE in the form of Isaiah Buggs and Raekwon Davis, who are two of the best at their position in the country. Buggs is remarkably consistent and stout against the run with some pass rush ability, while Davis is an athletic marvel at 6-7, 310 with elite strength and lateral quickness. He’s a top-10 talent based off pure ability.

Alabama has a lot of talent on defense, and they return some valuable experience in the front seven. But Auburn gets the nod because not only are they comparable to Alabama in talent, they are far more experienced, particularly in the secondary. They also have more continuity at DC, where Kevin Steele returns for his third year running the defense, and Alabama is replacing Jeremy Pruitt with first year play-caller Tosh Lupoi.

Granted, this is still Nick Saban’s defense, so my concerns for the unit aren’t that deep, and the inexperienced players will certainly be experienced by the time the two teams meet at the end of the year.

So, from a positional unit perspective, we give the edge to Auburn at QB.

Alabama gets the edge at RB.

Auburn gets the edge at WR.

Alabama gets the edge at OL.

Auburn gets the edge at DL.

Auburn gets the edge at LB.

Auburn gets the edge at DB.

Auburn also gets the edge on special teams, where Anders Carlson and Aidan Marshall present a stronger duo than what Alabama has to offer.

Considering all of this, and the fact that we think they have the better defense as a whole and one of the best QBs in the country,  Auburn was the better team, right? Wrong.

Two things that we didn’t discuss at great length was depth and coaching, where Alabama undisputedly gets the edge, particularly in the latter.

Auburn has some depth, more so than most other schools. But no one has the kind of depth Alabama has, which is a direct result of unbelievable recruiting over an expanded period of time. Remember, Alabama strung together a run of 7 consecutive No. 1- ranked recruiting classes before this year, which is just staggering. They finally dropped a bit this year – all the way down No. 5, heaven’s sake! – but that was more the result of constant staff changes over the past year and a half and Georgia building upon momentum than it was a changing of the tide – pardon the pun. Alabama has righted the ship once again, and currently has the No. 2 class so far for 2019.

While Auburn recruits very, very well (average class ranking is 8.8 the past 5 years), no one comes close to Alabama, which is why it can lose half a dozen linebackers in a given year and still win a national title. No one else has the kind of depth to afford such a calamitous string of injuries at a particular position and still continue rolling.

So, Alabama gets the nod for overall depth along the roster. The final piece of the puzzle, coaching, is also a heavy, heavy lean in Alabama’s favor.

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Look, Gus Malzahn is a really good coach. There’s a reason he has beaten Alabama and won the SEC West twice in the past 5 years. He’s a highly intelligent guy with a brilliant mind for offense, though he does have his share of ups and downs, particularly when he tries to get too cute, and when he tries too hard to outsmart everyone he usually winds up outsmarting himself. Still, he’s probably one of the top 15 coaches in college football.

But no one compares to Saban. He’s hands down, without question, the best college football coach of all time. It’s not even close. Bear Bryant may have won as many national titles as Saban, but he never won 5 in a 9-year period, and he never had to do it in as competitive of an environment as Saban has. Winning a national title today is a hell of a lot harder than it was in the 60’s and 70’s, when you had unlimited scholarships and really only a handful of competing programs devoting serious resources to winning at a high level.

Saban is an absolute freak of a nature. He recruits the best players in the country and develops them better than anyone else. He has a constantly reshuffled coaching staff thanks to his unparalleled success, and still never misses a beat. His ability to manage and oversee a program as large and powerful as Alabama and keep such a machine running flawlessly is staggering.

So, Alabama gets the nod in the coaching category, as well. And this is why Alabama is the better team in 2018.

Auburn stacks up well with Alabama in the starting lineups, but they can’t compare to Alabama’s depth and coaching advantage. This doesn’t mean Auburn can’t beat Alabama, because they certainly can. They’re one of just two teams in the SEC I think would have a chance of beating the Tide this year (Georgia being the other). Auburn has enough talent to win both a conference and national title, but even considering that they aren’t as good as Alabama is, top-to-bottom.