College Football Analyst Predicts Alabama's Final W-L Record
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 15: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks on during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 52-49. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
For Alabama's sky-high standards, two losses represent a disappointing football season. In that case, one analyst thinks Crimson Tide fans will be let down again.
The Crimson Tide missed the College Football Playoff following narrow defeats to Tennessee and LSU in 2022. When predicting every SEC team's 2023 record, Brad Crawford of 247Sports anticipated a similar result.
He has Alabama going 10-2, with the program falling short to Texas and Texas A&M. Losing to the Longhorns in Week 2 would certainly complicate the team's path to a national title.
"The challenge here will be the back-against-the-wall situation Alabama will have put itself in after an early-season loss to Texas, with ranked opponents Texas A&M, Tennessee and LSU looming," Crawford wrote. "Can Nick Saban's team beat those three teams? Sure, but this schedule is much more difficult than what the Bulldogs are facing in the East, comparatively. Three of this program's last five games in College Station have been decided by a single possession, including a loss (2021)."
On the bright side, Crawford anticipates Alabama winning the SEC West this time. However, he picks Georgia to win the conference championship clash.
Alabama escaped Austin with a 20-19 win over Texas last September despite an early injury to Quinn Ewers. While the Aggies couldn't pull off back-to-back wins over the Crimson Tide, they came close in a 24-20 loss with Bryce Young sidelined.
Crawford also noted that losing to Texas would snap Alabama's 20-game home winning streak. If Nick Saban's squad defeats the Longhorns, that mark will be in danger when hosting the Tigers and Volunteers later in the fall.
