As many as 6 bama players may declare

#1

wmcovol

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#1
5 already have and Mack Wilson may yet.

Add Harris as a transfer and they might take a small step back to the pack. Still overwhelming favs to win SEC but maybe not win every reg season game by at least 24 pts.
 
#2
#2
5 already have and Mack Wilson may yet.

Add Harris as a transfer and they might take a small step back to the pack. Still overwhelming favs to win SEC but maybe not win every reg season game by at least 24 pts.

Harris isn't transferring. That was a rumor started by a fake Bruce Feldman twitter account. Harris was never in the portal.
 
#3
#3
Harris isn't transferring. That was a rumor started by a fake Bruce Feldman twitter account. Harris was never in the portal.

Ok then. Thanks for the update. It didn't make sense. BTW, another has declared. 7 now.
 
#5
#5
Lol. All we TN fans can do is hope that Alabama loses so many players to the NFL that maybe they can take a small step back and we can only lose by 2-3 TDs a year instead of 4-5.
 
#9
#9
And they will still be in the playoff
If they went 10-2 next year and no conference title they still get in the CFP??? Nah....not gonna happen...I as well as many other Vols fans out there are hoping and praying Bama starts to slide a bit and lose some of their edge. Saban won’t stay dominant forever. Even great coaches start losing their edge...will next year begin their downward trend???
 
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#10
#10
If they went 10-2 next year and no conference title they still get in the CFP??? Nah....not gonna happen...I as well as many other Vols fans out there are hoping and praying Bama starts to slide a bit and lose some of their edge. Saban won’t stay dominant forever. Even great coaches start losing their edge...will next year begin their downward trend???
Despite the current narrative, there's nothing that indicates he's about to. He lost in the national title game and has the #1 recruiting class for 2019.

Alabama's downward trend will not start until after Saban retires, in all likelihood. And if I had to guess, it won't really start in earnest until the coach they hire after Saban's successor. Unless he wins at a rate nearly identical to Saban, Saban's successor, be it Dabo or someone else, won't last very long. They'll only put up with a year, two years tops, of not being a factor in the playoff. Just think about it - the last time Alabama wasn't in national title contention at the end of a regular season was 2010 - 9 years ago. That is going to be such a shock to their system, and so unacceptable, to have a couple of losses going into the Iron Bowl and not being able to play themselves into the SECCG or CFP. A lot of their younger fans will have no memory of an Alabama team that didn't win or come close to winning a national title. They won't handle it well.

That is where they'll make this misstep - trying to replace a very good coach with one who will win like Saban did.
 
#13
#13
This happens every year and there's little to no difference in visible talent dropoff at Alabama. Until a team in the conference begins to beat them consistently, Bama will continue to be king of the hill and favorites to win every year.
 
#14
#14
This happens every year and there's little to no difference in visible talent dropoff at Alabama. Until a team in the conference begins to beat them consistently, Bama will continue to be king of the hill and favorites to win every year.

You’re right to a point. But bama did struggle some (their standards) on Def this year and 2 of their DBs and 1LB did leave early. They didn’t appear to have a difference maker as a pass rusher either and lost the most dominating DL on top of that. I don’t see them being significantly better on D next yr. But offensively, they’re gonna be tough to control if you don’t get serious pressure on Tua. Ga & Clem did and he’s clearly a different QB when he’s pressured.
 
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#16
#16
You’re right to a point. But bama did struggle some (their standards) on Def this year and 2 of their DBs and 1LB did leave early. They didn’t appear to have a difference maker as a pass rusher either and lost the most dominating DL on top of that. I don’t see them being significantly better on D next yr. But offensively, they’re gonna be tough to control if you don’t get serious pressure on Tua. Ga & Clem did and he’s clearly a different QB when he’s pressured.

Of the 2 DBs that left early, only Thompson is a true star. Smith is a decent corner, but he only started the bulk of the year because Diggs got hurt. With Diggs deciding to return, Smith saw the writing on the wall and decided to take his chances in the league. I don't blame him. All-in-all, though, I'd rather have Diggs.

I hate that Wilson left, because I think he would have helped his stock with another season. But Bama's fairly deep at linebacker.

I'm optimistic about the pass rush. If Anfernee Jennings is coming back, and if Terrell Lewis can actually stay healthy (which might be a big "if"), that combination will be absolutely nasty. And if we get 2017 Raekwon Davis as opposed to 2018 Raekown Davis, Bama's in good shape.

The biggest source of relief is knowing that the secondary is bringing back so much experience. We went into last season without our top 6 DBs from 2017. This year, we're returning all but Thompson. Bama has this really crummy cycle going on where they always seem to lose a bunch of DBs going into even numbered years. This always seems to rear its head at some point. On the plus side, Bama always tends to have a solid secondary in odd numbered years. And this has played out in our national championship teams. Bama had experienced secondaries in '09, '11, '15, and '17. They did in '13, too, and only the Kick 6 kept that team from a crack at another title. Only 2012 brought a championship in an even numbered year.
 
#17
#17
You’re right to a point. But bama did struggle some (their standards) on Def this year and 2 of their DBs and 1LB did leave early. They didn’t appear to have a difference maker as a pass rusher either and lost the most dominating DL on top of that. I don’t see them being significantly better on D next yr. But offensively, they’re gonna be tough to control if you don’t get serious pressure on Tua. Ga & Clem did and he’s clearly a different QB when he’s pressured.
It was really just their secondary that struggled, IMO. When they have trouble stopping people, which is rare, it usually is their secondary which is the problem. Their secondary was a problem in 2016 too (Eddie Jackson loss hurt) and that season also culminated in a CFPNCG loss to Clemson. Buggs, Williams, and Miller combined for 25.5 sacks this year - I'd say they had pass rushers.

The funny thing about Bama's pass rushers over the years is that oftentimes it is an interior lineman, not a DE or pass rushing LB, that really racks up the sacks for them in any given year. Marcell Dareus, A'Shawn Robinson, Jonathan Allen (2x), and Raekwon Davis have all led the team in sacks at one point. Quinnen Williams was 2nd in sacks this year.
 
#18
#18
It was really just their secondary that struggled, IMO. When they have trouble stopping people, which is rare, it usually is their secondary which is the problem. Their secondary was a problem in 2016 too (Eddie Jackson loss hurt) and that season also culminated in a CFPNCG loss to Clemson. Buggs, Williams, and Miller combined for 25.5 sacks this year - I'd say they had pass rushers.

The funny thing about Bama's pass rushers over the years is that oftentimes it is an interior lineman, not a DE or pass rushing LB, that really racks up the sacks for them in any given year. Marcell Dareus, A'Shawn Robinson, Jonathan Allen (2x), and Raekwon Davis have all led the team in sacks at one point. Quinnen Williams was 2nd in sacks this year.

Half of those sacks were against bad teams like Tennessee and Arkansas probably. Against the good teams (which werent many), they werent very strong on pass rush. Lawrence had all day to throw in the NCG, Murray also as did Fromm early in the SECCG. Sacks by interior DL often are a result of the outside guys making the QB step up or stay in the pocket. I didnt see much of that by Bama this year once the good teams started to appear on their schedule.
 
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#19
#19
Half of those sacks were against bad teams like Tennessee and Arkansas probably. Against the good teams (which werent many), they werent very strong on pass rush. Lawrence had all day to throw in the NCG, Murray also as did Fromm early in the SECCG. Sacks by interior DL often are a result of the outside guys making the QB step up or stay in the pocket. I didnt see much of that by Bama this year once the good teams started to appear on their schedule.
That group did combine for 2.5 sacks against Miss St, 4 against LSU, and 4.5 against A&M. But you're right, they were pretty quite in the playoff (1 sack combined across both games).
 
#21
#21
Here is Bamas 2019 schedule

2019 Alabama football schedule released

I see maybe 2 tough games. LSU and TAMU. LSU is in Tuscaloosa. TAMU could give them some trouble but highly unlikely. Their schedule plays out for another undefeated regular season and yet another SEC championship.
Yep. That's a particularly weak non-conference schedule next year. When that Duke game was scheduled, they knew they'd be weak because they always are. L'ville was awful last year, but really good when that game was scheduled. They've played FSU, USC, Wisconsin, and West Virginia in past season openers so can't quibble too much.

Also, right before their two toughest games (A&M and LSU) they conveniently get a bye.
 
#22
#22
Yep. That's a particularly weak non-conference schedule next year. When that Duke game was scheduled, they knew they'd be weak because they always are. L'ville was awful last year, but really good when that game was scheduled. They've played FSU, USC, Wisconsin, and West Virginia in past season openers so can't quibble too much.

That Duke game sucks. It was supposed to be Miami, but that got bumped back to '21 because they didn't want to play Bama and UF in the same year. And, shockingly, Bama's having trouble finding teams that want to play those first week neutral site games. Probably has something to do with the fact that Bama has won them all by an average of 24 points.

Also, right before their two toughest games (A&M and LSU) they conveniently get a bye.

A&M and LSU also have byes before Bama.
 
#24
#24
That Duke game sucks. It was supposed to be Miami, but that got bumped back to '21 because they didn't want to play Bama and UF in the same year. And, shockingly, Bama's having trouble finding teams that want to play those first week neutral site games. Probably has something to do with the fact that Bama has won them all by an average of 24 points.



A&M and LSU also have byes before Bama.
are 1 and 1s more popular?
 
#25
#25
A&M and LSU also have byes before Bama

And bama has Byes before A&M and LSU........that's more than fair.

What sucks is when you have 4 straight tough SEC games and two of those opponents had byes or weak OOC games before.
 

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