The Crimson White Print Edition - August 24, 2023

sports
2023 Alabama football preview:
A game-by-game breakdown of the 2023 analysis
7A
Luke McClinton
Staff Writer
As the month of August
dawns upon us, so does
the intense anticipation of
Alabama football.
It’s comical that an
11-win season punctuated
with a dominant Sugar
Bowl showing has left a
sour taste in the mouth of
Tuscaloosa residents, but
such is the case when the
standard is the top of the
mountain. Recent history
says it’s safe to assume
the Crimson Tide is ready
for the 2023 season. One
question remains, then:
Are you? Are you prepared
for the potential upsets
and the sleeper teams
we need to watch out for
along the way?
Lock in, and let’s get
officially prepared for
the season.
Week 1: Vs.
Middle Tennessee
Verdict: Alabama wins
in blowout fashion
In just over a month,
the 2022 Middle Tennessee
Blue Raiders fell to Group
of Five foes James Madison
and UAB by a combined 64
points while picking up a
road win over the then-No.
25 Miami Hurricanes.
They eventually found
their stride, closing on a
four-game winning streak,
and the personnel from
that momentum run is
mostly back.The defense
was polarizing; it put up
little resistance against
the pass but was one of
the most suffocating in the
country against the run.
It would be imprudent,
however, to judge Middle
Tennessee and Alabama
on the same level. The
Blue Raiders might
piece together a solid
quarter and make it look
somewhat interesting,
but at a certain point the
sheer talent will take
over and swing the game
irrevocably in the Crimson
Tide’s favor.
Week 2: Vs. Texas
Verdict: Upset aler.
With college football
coming back, talk of
“Texas is back!” has
also returned.
This claim is at its
most credible this year.
The offensive line, which
allowed the second-fewest
sacks in the Big 12, holds
five experienced and
potentially all-conference
starters. Xavier Worthy,
Jordan Whittington and
UGA transfer Adonai
Mitchell are the top dogs
in what looks to be an
elite receiving room.
Jonathon Brooks, Keilan
Robinson and incoming
top running back recruit
CJ Baxter should make a
valiant effort to fill Bijan
Robinson’s shoes.
The defense led the
country in quarterback
pressures and was overall
pretty explosive; remember
the Alabama-Texas game
last year, and how lethargic
the Crimson Tide offense
was made to look.
Nonetheless, Alabama
is — and will likely stay —
a touchdown favorite. This
is not a time to toy around,
however, and if whoever
finds himself as Alabama’s
starting quarterback can’t
run an efficient offense
and the defense can’t
stop a talented Longhorn
attack, this matchup might
be just as stressful as
last season.
The Nick Saban statue outside of Bryant-Denny Stadium. CW / Natalie Teat
Week 3: At
South Florida
Verdict: Another
blowout
South Florida was 1-11
last season. It finished
130th out of 131 teams in
opponent points per game.
It gave up over 500 yards
of offense per contest.
The lone bright spot,
thousand-yard rusher
Brian Battie, is off to
Auburn via transfer.
No disrespect is
intended, but there’s little
to say here. If Alabama
plays up to its standard,
the question isn’t of
victory, but of victory by
how much.
Week 4: Vs. Ole Miss
Verdict: Alabama wins
On one hand, Ole Miss
returns one of the best
running backs in the SEC
in Quinshon Judkins. The
Rebels also return Jaxson
Dart, who resides in the
upper echelon of SEC
quarterbacks, and add
former Oklahoma State stud
Spencer Sanders. On the
other, the defense is still in
need of improvement.
This game will almost
certainly come down to the
ability of Alabama’s defense
to get stops, since the Rebels’
path to victory is through
their blistering offense.
Week 5: At
Mississippi State
Verdict: A likely win.
There’s currently a Mike
Leach-shaped hole in the
Mississippi State football
program. With Zach Arnett
taking over, the culture is
changing, and such a shift
makes anticipating the team’s
success a difficult task.
The Bulldogs were an
SEC dark horse last year,
pairing their usual potent
offense with a surprisingly
efficient defense. Even if
they retain their sneakygood
status, however, they
remain a class below the
Crimson Tide.
Week 6: At
Texas A&M
Verdict: A win for
Alabama.
Texas A&M might have
underperformed last
year, but it still returns a
historic recruiting class
with a year of experience.
Alongside a new and
proven-winner offensive
coordinator in Bobby
Petrino and an elite pass
defense, it could mean
trouble for opponents.
Still, hold off on the
hype until the Aggies
prove their worth. Unless
there’s an unforeseen
malfunction somewhere in
the Crimson Tide machine,
or another situation with
a quarterback making
his first career start, this
game shouldn’t be as
anxiety-inducing as the
last two years.
Week 7: Vs. Arkansas
Verdict: Likely win, but
potential trap
The Razorbacks boast
two players who have
arguments as the best SEC
returners at their position.
KJ Jefferson and Raheim
Sanders will form one of
the most dynamic QB-RB
duos in the conference
this upcoming season.
Unfortunately, the rest
of the offense is quite
depleted; under new
offensive coordinator Dan
Enos, it will heavily rely
on a bevy of transfers
with little college football
experience. Furthermore,
the defense had a Jekylland-Hyde
dynamic,
setting a school record for
sacks while allowing an
atrocious 465 total yards
per game.
After two potentially
exhausting road games,
this could be something of
a trap for the Crimson Tide.
It could be especially tricky
if Arkansas takes the leap
necessary to fight for a
high spot in the SEC West.
Week 8: Vs.
Tennessee
Verdict: A nail biter
We all know this
rematch is going to take the
coveted SEC on CBS spot
at 2:30. If everything goes
according to plan for both
teams, it will be glorious.
Despite no small
loss of talent, the bar in
Knoxville is set high. If
Joe Milton reaches his full
potential as a quarterback
with supreme physical
gifts, and the defense
overcomes its personnel
changes, this team can get
a taste of last year’s Josh
Heupel chef special.
Given the enormous
shoes the Crimson Tide’s
quarterback will have to fill,
there’s a chance the key to
victory here is its advantage
on defense. If it can curtail
the ballistic Tennessee
offense, it should escape
with revenge exacted. With
how gobsmacked Alabama
looked trying to stop the
Heupel scheme, however,
that’s easier said than done.
When you’re cooking
the popcorn for this game,
grab some Tums as well.
Week 9: Bye
Week 10: Vs. LSU
Verdict: A tossup, but
Alabama likely on top
After a five-game
gauntlet, the Crimson Tide
faces what could be the
toughest contest of the
season. Alabama’s rematch
versus Tennessee is for
revenge; its rematch with
LSU is for revenge and
possibly a spot in the
SEC championship.
Jayden Daniels has a
strong case as the best
quarterback in the SEC.
The defense is a wrecking
crew led by bruising
defensive tackle Maason
Smith and NFL prospect
linebacker Harold Perkins.
Not much separates
Alabama from the
defending kings of the SEC
West. Whether a backand-forth
shootout or a
defensive war of attrition,
it’ll be a dogfight.
Week 11: At Kentucky
Verdict: Another
Alabama win
After a six-week
grinder, the load is
lightened. But not by much.
Kentucky is looking
to return to doubledigit-victory
level after
something of a down year.
The 2022 team boasted a
staunch defense, ranking
13th in the country;
conversely, the offense
ranked 112th.
Though he isn’t the
pro prospect Will Levis
was, incoming Devin
Leary should fit as well,
if not better, into the
Wildcat attack. The top five
receivers all return, two of
whom were Freshman All-
Americans. All this on top
of a defense that will still
be solid even with some
turnover.
Like in some of the
previous games, however,
it’s important not to get
carried away. Kentucky’s
still a step or two behind
the Crimson Tide.
Week 12: Vs.
Chattanooga
Verdict: A decisive
victory
The Chattanooga Mocs
were respectable in 2022,
finishing No. 24 in the last
year’s Football Championship
Subdivision rankings.
In other news,
they’re an FCS school.
Don’t forget Alabama is
paying them $600,000 to
spend an afternoon in
Bryant-Denny.
Week 13: At Auburn
Verdict: A needlessly
close win
Auburn has had it a
little rough the past few
seasons, but the offseason
brings a little bit of hope
in the form of the transfer
portal, especially Michigan
State transfer Payton
Thorne at quarterback.
Getting back over .500
should be the expectation.
That being said, the
Tigers could be starting
a middle schooler at
quarterback and a squad
of Pop Warner MVPs on
defense, and this game
would still be closer than it
should — this is an Iron Bowl
in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Alabama will be
fighting for its right
to return to the SEC
championship and
compete for a College
Football Playoff spot.
Auburn will be fighting to
not be sixth place in the
SEC West.
These teams are
not on the same level,
but history tells us that
by some mixture of
underperformance on one
side and overperformance
on the other, they’ll play
an even-footed game.
Nick Saban survey’s the field prior to Alabama’s loss to
Tennessee on Oct. 15, 2022. CW Files