College football: Alabama is team to beat in SEC, but title talk premature

I was incorrect astir the Alabama Crimson Tide.

I expected each the problems we saw aboriginal -- extortion issues, deficiency of tally identity, inconsistency connected the roadworthy -- to beryllium large roadblocks. I thought those flaws would linger and outgo them successful the SEC grind, which is wherefore I pegged them to miss the playoff.

But they person done what elite programs do: adapt, germinate and rise. And now, the Crimson Tide are the rightful favorites to triumph the conference.

That opening nonaccomplishment to Florida State felt similar confirmation of each preseason doubt; 17 points, 8 penalties, nary rhythm. But since then, Alabama has rebuilt itself portion by portion into thing sharper and steadier. Quarterback Ty Simpson has gone from cautious to commanding, averaging 8.5 yards per effort implicit his past 4 games against coagulated competition. The discourtesy is balanced, explosive and businesslike and has recovered its rhythm, buoyed by a tally crippled that has caught up capable to prolong drives.

Defensively, the Tide person cleaned up everything that went incorrect early. The beforehand 7 is not vintage Alabama, but the sum portion has locked in, keeping opponents nether 7 yards per walk since Week 1. They are winning 3rd downs, forcing turnovers and staying composed successful unit spots.

The biggest shift, however, is successful discipline. Penalties dropped, turnovers disappeared and clip of possession flipped from hardly 29 minutes successful the opener to astir 36 done October. That is the motion of a mature shot team.

This is not the aforesaid Alabama I was betting against successful August. This is simply a squad that rediscovered its halfway identity: efficient, composed, opportunistic. What started arsenic a stumble has turned into a climb. At 6-1, Alabama is firmly portion of the playoff conversation.

Shuffling done the SEC

Which brings america to the bigger picture: however Alabama stacks up successful the SEC.

Both Texas A&M and Alabama are 4-0 successful league play, with Georgia close down astatine 4-1. Alabama has separated itself among the three. The spread is not massive, but it is real. Alabama has the champion backmost successful the conference, the astir subject and the sharpest inclination enactment successful presumption of improvement.

Georgia inactive has the amended beforehand 7 and a steadier tally game, but its discourtesy lacks the vertical punch Alabama present leans on. Texas A&M, meanwhile, has shown flashes, but the antiaircraft splits and inconsistencies against apical contention uncover a ceiling that sits conscionable beneath Alabama's.

The Tide whitethorn person rebuilt themselves from that Week 1 loss, and they are perfectly a contender for the Playoff, but I americium not acceptable to enactment them successful the nationalist rubric conversation. The tally defence and deficiency of dominance successful the trenches are inactive concerns. A existent nationalist rubric contender controls the enactment of scrimmage against elite teams, and Alabama is not rather there.

Best stake to triumph the SEC?

From a betting perspective, this mentation of Alabama has been 1 of the astir reliable teams successful the country. The Crimson Tide are 5-1-1 against the spread, consistently outperforming marketplace expectations. Their games up are acold much manageable than earlier perceived. South Carolina is not the aforesaid squad galore projected, LSU is battling violative inconsistency, leaving Oklahoma arsenic the adjacent existent trial looming, but that matchup comes astatine home. If this turns into a backmost duel, I spot Simpson implicit Read Entire Article