12/18/10
For the average college football "Joe", this may come as somewhat of a surprise to see the Crimson Tide move from outside the current Top 15 AP ranking into such a lofty preseason status for the upcoming campaign. But the astute observer sees this depth chart and wonders if Bama is actually deserving of the No. 1 spot. If's a but's...had Alabama not choked away a 24 point first half lead and held on to beat rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl, this is where the Tide would be sitting. Going into this 2010 season, most understood the question marks on defense concerning a youth movement full of heralded faces fresh out of high school would be an issue. This factor proved truthful; hence the reverse will likely be true for 2011 where the inexperience cap gets removed. In the learning process, five defensive players being tabbed All-SEC. Other than Alabama, no other team in this Top 25 welcomes back 20 starters. The only question now for Coach Nick Saban is just how good 6’4 sophomore signal caller A.J. McCarron can be with Greg McElroy graduating. Tailback Mark Ingram has certainly had a letdown season one year after his Heisman-winning sophomore campaign. He still is the key to the Alabama offense. Julio Jones has established himself as an All-American receiver. With four starters returning to the offensive line led by two All-SEC performers, Alabama has a great shot at getting Ingram and Richardson producing more carrying the pigskin. The main issue staring Tuscaloosa directly in the face is a plethora of NFL quality underclassmen that have the potential to make that jump to the NFL. Upwards of six different players are capable of playing on Sundays. The target on the Crimson Tide chest won't be quite an ominous this off-season. Expect a chip to sit on the shoulder of Coach Saban who will drive this chip well on top of his players shoulders all the way through until next season. Alabama is one of the top three recruiting monsters over the past four years. The brutal grindstone of the SEC caught up with them this past year. It's not likely to be so brutal mentally in 2011 with much more experience returning. Once again, if there are any questions about whether this team deserves such a lofty preseason standing, just peruse the depth chart.