The Week That Was for the Alabama Crimson Tide: All Things CW

For first time in the CFP era the national champion didn't have to go through Alabama, why Bryce Young is now more likely to go No. 1 in the draft, and the basketball team is chasing history.

Author:
Christopher Walsh
Publish date:
Jan 15, 2023 10:00 AM EST

In this story:

Alabama Crimson Tide

This is the combined version this week's All Things CW notes column by Christopher Walsh, which posted daily over this past week with the latest on the Alabama Crimson Tide:

Monday: The national championship game hasn't been played yet, and already oddsmakers are talking about the favorites for next season. Of course, the list includes the usual suspects at the top. There's only one team ahead of the Alabama Crimson Tide, and it's the one going for its second straight title.

Georgia vs. TCU is being widely hailed around the nation because the semifinal wins against Big Ten teams were by extremely narrow margins and, let's face it, the matchup is something different.

The flip side to that, of course, is that something has felt off these past few weeks, ever since the CFP selection committee had Alabama at No. 5, and out of the semifinals.

Here's what it is: The last time a national champion didn't have to play Alabama was 2013, Florida State.

That encompasses the entire College Football Playoff era.

Season, Team, Title Game

2014 Ohio State 14-1; Beat Alabama in semifinal
2015 Alabama 14-1
2016 Clemson 14-1; Alabama lost in title game
2017 Alabama 13-1
2018 Clemson 15-0; Alabama lost in title game
2019 LSU 15-0; Beat Alabama during regular season
2020 Alabama 13-0
2021 Georgia 14-1; Beat Alabama in title game

Prior to that, the last team to win the title was Texas in 2005, two years before Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa and changed college football forever.

Should Georgia win in Los Angeles, where the Bulldogs are favored by nearly two full touchdowns, there won't be and second-guessing on this championship or anyone wondering might have happened hadn't key players suffered injuries. Navigating a perfect season is incredibly difficult under any circumstance, and doing so as the reigning national champion is ever more so.

Even with all of his titles, Nick Saban himself has had just two undefeated teams. So give credit where credit is due.

But it works both ways.

Alabama was arguably one play away from the playoff this year, and the program's sustained success is something college football has never seen before.

Here are some reminders from recent years:

• Since Ohio State was ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 on Nov. 1, 2015, only four schools have occupied the top spot in the 126 polls since: Alabama (74 times), Clemson (23), Georgia (21) and LSU (8).

• The Crimson Tide has been ranked No. 1 at some point of every season since 2008.

• Alabama has been ranked in 244 consecutive polls (2008-present), followed by Georgia (97, 2017-present), Ohio State (45, 2020-present), Michigan 29 (2021-present), Utah 20 (2021-present), Clemson 18 (2021-present), Southern California 15, Tennessee 14, Oregon 13, Penn State 13, Kansas State 11, TCU 10, UCLA 10, Tulane 8, LSU 7 (eight others between two and five).

• The most wins over ranked teams since 1989, when the AP started ranking 25 teams: Alabama 110, Ohio State 105, LSU 90, Florida State 84, Oklahoma 84, Florida 82, Michigan 81, Georgia 76, Southern Cal 75, Tennessee 69, Oregon 67, Miami, Fla. 65, Auburn 64, Notre Dame 64, Clemson 63, Texas 61, Penn State 59, Washington 59, UCLA 57, Stanford 52, Wisconsin 52, Michigan State 51, Virginia Tech 50, Colorado 47, Nebraska 47, Texas A&M 47, Arkansas 46, Georgia Tech 44 (TCU 39).

That's why the oddsmakers have Georgia and Alabama as the early favorites for next season. They don't know who the quarterbacks will be, the assistant coaches, or the true makeup of the teams as we still have more turnover to endure — especially for the Bulldogs,

We all know where the smart money is at.

Speaking of which, if interested, here are some of the specifics on the title game from SI Sportsbook:

No. 3 TCU vs. No. 1 Georgia College Football Playoff National Championship Odds

Spread: TCU +13 (-118) | Georgia -13 (-110)
Moneyline: TCU (+370) | UGA (-568)
Total: 62.5 – Over (-110) | Under (-118)
Game Info: Monday, Jan. 9, 2023 | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
Location: SoFi Stadium | Inglewood, Calif.
TCU Straight-Up Record: 13–1
TCU Against the Spread Record: 10–3–1
Georgia Straight-Up Record: 14–0
Georgia Against the Spread Record: 7–7

Other bets available:

First-Quarter Moneyline: TCU (+170) | Georgia (-250)
First-Half Moneyline: TCU (+250) | Georgia (-376)
First-Half Total: 31.5 — Over (-110) | Under (-118)
Highest-Scoring Quarter: First (+475) | Second (+125) | Third (+475) | Fourth (+220)
Odd or Even Total: Odd (-125) | Even (+100)
Half Time/ Full Time Result: TCU/TCU (+580) | TCU/Tie (+3300) | TCU/Georgia (+600) | Tie/TCU (+3000) | Tie/Tie (+3300) | Tie/Georgia (+1400) | Georgia/TCU (+1300) | Georgia/Tie (+3000) | Georgia/Georgia (-200)

2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class Stellar, but Shows Glaring Problem

Tuesday: Regardless of the sport, no matter the year, hall of fame selections are always wonderful, joyous and controversial, which is never going to change.

Nor should it. Part of the fun of having a designated group celebrating the best of the best is the debate and arguing over who should be included, and why.

However, Monday's announcement for the Class of 2023 demonstrated a major problem with the selection process for the College Football Hall of Fame, one that there may not be an answer for because different players and coaches end their careers at different times.

That process is spelled out at the end, and this is not something I've banged the drum about before regarding the hall. Previously, those were issues were the Alabama Crimson Tide not having enough representation (it ranks 10th in selections, with fewer than half of Notre Dame's numbers — remember, the College Football Hall of Fame was in South Bend, Ind., before relocating to Atlanta), and the First Team All-American requirement.

For the latter, my argument is this: If the two best players in college football history played the same position, and the same years, the second one could conceivably never get in the hall of fame when 1,074 players and 230 coaches will have been inducted by this time next year.

The College Football Hall of Fame disagrees with on that, just like Alabama Sports Hall of Fame doesn't have a provision for a group or team to be enshrined. Consequently, the four football players from Tuscaloosa who died when the Marshall football team’s flight crashed in 1970 can only be considered individually.

Their namers were Joe Hood, Larry Sanders, Robert VanHorn and Freddy Wilson.

My issue with the Class of 2023 boils down to one word, timing.

The most recent Crimson Tide player to go into the Hall was former All-American center Sylvester Croom last year. He, of course, went on to be become the first black football head coach in the Southeastern Conference at Mississippi State, but he was a player under Paul W. "Bear" Bryant.

To say that his induction was overdue would be a huge understatement.

E.J. Junior was the selection before that, in 2020, and he played for Bryant from 1977-80. Before him was, believe it or not, Derrick Thomas, in 2014.

The Hall is so far behind on Crimson Tide players that the only induction from the 1992 national championship team has been Gene Stallings (2010).

One of the two Alabama players nominated and in the selection process this past year was from that team:

Antonio Langham, Alabama-Defensive back-1993 unanimous First Team All-American and winner of the Jim Thorpe Award … Led Alabama to four postseason berths, highlighted by the 1992 national championship … Three-time All-SEC selection and the Crimson Tide’s all-time leader in career interceptions (19).
Chris Samuels, Alabama-Offensive tackle-1999 unanimous First Team All-American and Outland Trophy recipient … Two-time First Team All-SEC selection who led the Tide to a 1999 conference title … SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner who did not allow a sack the entire 1999 season and blocked for 1,000-yard rusher Shaun Alexander.

Fast-forward to Monday and follow along with my reaction to some of the names in this year's class, especially of those who were playing when Saban arrived at Alabama in 2007.

Tim Tebow. Ok, won the Heisman Trophy, came close to winning another and had Florida on the verge of a dynasty until Alabama ended the Gators' title hopes in 2009.

Linebacker Luke Kuechly. He was at Boston College until 2011, but the tackling machine was a great college player.

LaMichael James and Jeremy Maclin.

Um, already?

Eric Berry.

Seriously?

Don't get me wrong here, Berry was an outstanding player. Yes, he should be in the College Football Hall of Fame. As a safety he won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2009 as the nation's top defensive back, and he was absolutely, positively deserving of the honor.

The fifth-overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft by Kansas City, Berry played with the Chiefs until 2018, making five Pro Bowl appearances and earning First Team All-Pro honors three times. After being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2014, Berry was named the 2015 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

What one did in the NFL isn't supposed the part of the selection process, but I'll even grant that part of his resume. The guy was that good.

Here's my problem. Lane Kiffin, from his one year at Tennessee, has more players in the Hall of Fame than Saban at Alabama.

That's just not right.

CFHOF: Class of 2023

PLAYERS

Eric Berry – DB, Tennessee (2007-09)
Michael Bishop – QB, Kansas State (1997-98)
Reggie Bush – RB, Southern California (2003-05)
Dwight Freeney – DE, Syracuse (1998-2001)
Robert Gallery – OT, Iowa (2000-03)
LaMichael James – RB, Oregon (2009-11)
Derrick Johnson – LB, Texas (2001-04)
Bill Kollar – DT, Montana State (1971-73)
Luke Kuechly – LB, Boston College (2009-11)
Jeremy Maclin – WR/KR, Missouri (2007-08)
Terance Mathis – WR, New Mexico (1985-87, 1989)
Bryant McKinnie – OT, Miami [FL] (2000-01)
Corey Moore – DL, Virginia Tech (1997-99)
Michael Stonebreaker – LB, Notre Dame (1986, 1988, 1990)
Tim Tebow – QB, Florida (2006-09)
Troy Vincent – DB, Wisconsin (1988-91)
Brian Westbrook – RB, Villanova (1997-98, 2000-01)
DeAngelo Williams – RB, Memphis (2002-05)

COACHES

Monte Cater – 275-117-2 (70.1 percent); Lakeland [WI] (1981-86), Shepherd [WV] (1987-2017)
Paul Johnson – 189-99-0 (65.6 percent); Georgia Southern (1997-2001), Navy (2002-07), Georgia Tech (2008-18)
Roy Kramer – 83-32-2 (71.8 percent); Central Michigan (1967-77)
Mark Richt – 171-64-0 (72.8 percent); Georgia (2001-15), Miami [FL] (2016-18)

College Football Hall of Fame Selection Criteria

First and foremost, a player must have received First Team All-America recognition by a selector recognized by the NCAA and utilized to comprise its consensus All-America teams.
A player becomes eligible for consideration by the NFF's Honors Court 10 full seasons after his final year of intercollegiate football played.
While each nominee's football achievements in college are of prime consideration, his post football record as a citizen is also weighed. He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of football forward into his relations with his community. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether or not the candidate earned a college degree.
Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50* years. For example, to be eligible for the 2023 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1973 or thereafter. In addition, current professional players and/or coaches are not eligible until retirement.
A coach becomes eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years old. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.
Nominations may only be submitted by the current athletics director, head coach or sports information director (SID) of a potential candidate's collegiate institution. Nominations may also be submitted by the president/executive director of a dues-paying chapter of the National Football Foundation.

* Players who do not comply with the 50-year rule may still be eligible for consideration by the Football Bowl Subdivision and Divisional Veterans Committees. Veterans Committee candidates must still meet First Team All-American requirement.

Why Bears Having First Pick Makes it More Likely Bryce Young Goes No. 1

Wednesday: On face value, it didn't look good for Bryce Young, one of two former Alabama Crimson Tide players who have a chance to be selected first in the 2023 NFL Draft.

When the Chicago Bears lost to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and the Houston Texans pulled off a 32-31 upset of the Indianapolis Colts to close out Week 18 of the NFL season, the Bears secured the top pick (and the Texans fired their coach).

The Bears already have an established young quarterback, and need help everywhere else. So on first glance, linebacker Will Anderson Jr.'s odds of being the top pick seemed to improve.

But it's actually Young's chances that rose.

Here's why:

The first decision that Chicago has to make is whether it still considers Justin Fields to be a franchise quarterback.

This past season, his second, he threw for 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns, but with 11 interceptions. Fields also rushed for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns, falling just shy of the quarterback rushing record for a season that Lamar Jackson set in 2019 at 1,206 yards.

The only way that Chicago decides not to stick with Fields is if it decides he's already peaked as a passer and can't improve. If that's the case, Young would be a strong choice at No. 1 as he's widely considered the top quarterback in the draft class. The other top names include CJ Stroud (Ohio State), Will Levis (Kentucky), Tanner McKee (Stanford), and Tyler Van Dyke (Miami).

When asked if he’s “your guy,” or if he might opt for a quarterback in the draft, general manager Ryan Poles was a little vague about Fields this week.

“We’re gonna do the same thing as we’ve always done,” he told reporters. “We’re gonna evaluate the draft class, and I would say this: I’d have to be absolutely blown away to make that type of decision.”

Option two would be to take the best non-quarterback available, which would likely mean choosing between Anderson and Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter. Normally that kind of decision would be dictated by the greater team need, but the Bears were last in the league in sacks and second-to-last in rushing defense.

The Bears need a lot of help.

They also have a ton of space under the salary cap, so free agency comes into play.

According to Over the Cap, Chicago will have the most cap space in the league with a whopping projected mark of $118 million. For a little perspective, the next closest team is the Atlanta Falcons, with $69 million in space.

The player topping the Bears' payroll is former Alabama defensive back Eddie Jackson.

In theory they could spend a significant chunk on a quarterback in free agency, but there isn't really a high-profile, franchise-type player available this year. Tom Brady is an obvious exception, but if he comes back for another season it'll be to try and win another Super Bowl and the Bears are too far away.

Some of the other potential top names available include Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Jimmy Garoppolo.

At minimum, Fields, the No. 11 -overall pick in 2021, who still has two years remaining on his rookie contract, is a cheaper option.

Which brings us to option three, which at this point is the most likely scenario: The Bears trade out of the top spot, stockpile picks and address more needs.

To move up to No. 1, a team will almost be certainly looking for a quarterback, the one position that will make-or-break the careers of general managers and coaches more than the rest combined.

How many teams with top-10 picks, from the Texans to the Panthers at No. 9, are in need of a starting quarterback? Just about all of them.

They're now all considering their options, taking close looks at Young and the other quarterbacks, and figuring out what they'd be willing to do to move up for each of them. The price at the top figures to be high, especially since there may be numerous interested teams.

Young may be undersized by NFL standards, but he's exactly the kind of player a team can select to be the face of the franchise and then not worry about.

Let the bidding begin ...

Basketball World Beware, Alabama Basketball Chasing History

Thursday: The Crimson Tide men's basketball team has played 16 games, and with a minimum of 17 to go Saturday's visit by LSU is the closest thing we get to call the midway point of the 2022-23 season.

Alabama is 14-2 overall, and 4-0 in the brutal Southeastern Conference, which has seven ranked teams this week, and two more on knocking on the door.

But those four league wins were especially telling, and not just because Alabama took it to a very talented Kentucky team that was favored to win the conference title, 78-52.

Alabama opened SEC play with an impressive 78-67 victory at then-No. 21 Mississippi State, and then dominated Ole Miss at home, 84-62. What the 84-69 win at Arkansas may have lacked in pizazz, it more than made up for in quality as the No. 15 Razorbacks are tough, especially at home.

Arkansas had won 17 straight game there, dating back to Jan. 4 last year (against Vanderbilt) and overall was 175-68 (.720) against SEC opponents in Bud Walton Arena.

Alabama was simply too much for Eric Musselman's squad that was coming off a loss and desperate for a win, just like it has been for any team not named Gonzaga or Connecticut. Moreover, the Crimson Tide has obviously improved since suffering its two losses.

Remember in November when everyone thought that Alabama's suffocating defense might be its best asset? And then guard Nimari Burnett got hurt?

The Crimson Tide adapted.

Brandon Miller has simply been outstanding, the only freshmen in the country that has scored 300 points and recorded 130 rebounds this season. When Arkansas did everything it could to limit him, he didn't lose his cool. He found other ways to contribute.

"I think he’s grown up," Alabama coach Nate Oats said after the game. "In the past, when he couldn’t get a shot – I mean, he didn’t get a shot attempt in the first half – he’d get a little frustrated. But when they’re gonna play him like that, it opens the floor up for everybody else."

The other freshmen are growing up as well.

Meanwhile, guard Jahvon Quinerly is playing with more confidence. Coming off a knee injury hasn't been easily, but he's making big-time contributions on both ends of the court.

"Quinerly is really coming along on the defensive end, I’m really happy for him defensively,: Oats said. "If you look at the game, he’s a plus-13 when he was in tonight, and he only played 11 minutes because he had foul trouble. He had four fouls. I thought he was good."

The statistical key of late has been turnovers. The kinds of mistakes that plagued this team in November are now rarely seen.

Alabama is still getting better. It has talent, drive and, so far, determination, and we haven't seen it at it's best yet.

Consequently, the Crimson Tide has played its way to the doorstep of history, and has already made some. Alabama became the first team since the 1965-66 season to beat two teams ranked No. 1 (North Carolina on Nov. 27 and Houston on Dec. 10) before New Year’s Day.

But that may have been just a beginning for this team.

For example, the program record for wins is 28 (1986-87), when the Crimson Tide only took five losses and went 16-2 in league play. Wimp Sanderson's squad lost in an NCAA regional semifinal.

This team's winning percentage of .875 is Alabama's best in the modern era. We have to say that because the 1929-30 squad went a perfect 20-0. It finished Southern League play 10-0, one game ahead of Duke and Kentucky in the standings.

To give an idea of how much the game has changed since then, Alabama's season high for scoring that season was 40 points. The NCAA Tournament wasn't created until 1939, a year after the NIT was founded — and was considered the bigger event into the 1950s.

The 1933-34 team went 16-2 under Hank Crisp (.889), and the 1955-56 Crimson Tide coached by Johnny Dee finished 21-3 (.875). That was 67 years ago.

Mark Gottfried's team in 2002-03 did hit No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for two weeks in December, but then went below .500 in SEC play and ended up unranked at the end.

Alabama's best finish in the AP poll was No. 5, twice, 1955-56 and then just a couple of years ago, when the Crimson Tide lost in the Sweet 16 after being a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Alabama has never been a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which is where most bracketologists now project Alabama to be on Selection Sunday in two months (March 12). It's been a No. 2 seed three times ( 1987, 2002 and 2021), but has never successfully advanced out of its regional.

The program's best showing was the Elite Eight in 2004, when it knocked off No. 1 Stanford and then lost to tournament champion Connecticut. That marked one of its eight regional-semifinal appearances.

This team could change all that.

It has the potential to be the best Crimson Tide team in history.

5 Non-Random Thoughts About Saban, Alabama Basketball and the NCAA

Friday: It's been a busy, hectic week for the Alabama Crimson Tide, so here are five things that had our attention but we just couldn't get to until now:

1. Funny, no one mentions this part ....

Social media blew up Monday night when those who were still watching the national championship game saw an interesting moment between Saban ESPN analyst David Pollack at halftime.

Pollack, of course, went to Georgia and was thrilled with what was happening the game. He also has a bit of a history of not being the most tactful or holding back.

So when he praised his alma matter, and then took it a step further by declaring Georgia’s continued dominance proved that the program has taken over college football (the score was 38-7, of course he's going to say that), the look on Saban's face told the story.

“We love the Cinderella story and we love when this comes about but this isn’t really the Cinderella ending,” Pollack said. “Georgia, obviously, we’ve seen from the past couple seasons now, really, they’ve taken hold of college football. Unbelievable job.”

Here's what I'm wondering: How many coaches would have reacted differently? To his credit, Saban didn't flinch. He was on national television and it was Georgia's night. Had he reacted in any other way the the backlash and outcry would have been enormous.

2. Brandon Miller is elite

Forget the thinking that the freshman could be a lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, top five is now more than realistic.

Last month, Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated had Miller listed as the No. 10 prospect in the draft, but he's since moved up. In his first mock that begins to factor in team fit in the lottery, the Alabama big man is at No. 4 to the Magic.

Unless something shocking happens, Victor Wembanyama of France will go first, followed by Scoot Henderson of the G League. The former, who is 7-foot-3, is being hailed as a franchise-changing prospect, and the latter could be the next great point guard.

So for Miller, the draft really starts at No. 3, and depending which team is selecting he could be in the mix.

3. Could Alabama have two lottery picks?

It's probably not likely, but forward Noah Clowney appears to be knocking on the door.

There are 14 lottery selections, and Wood is projecting the forward to go 19th to the Knicks.

"The fact he’s quite young for this draft has been noteworthy," Woo wrote. "He’s long and mobile. He blocks shots and rebounds well. And he should be able to defend multiple frontcourt spots. He can finish around the rim and has also flashed some shooting potential, which would make him massively valuable. Clowney has put himself in the one-and-done conversation and could rise from here with continued positive play."

Meanwhile, a number of college freshmen have been underperforming.

The more Alabama wins, and is in the spotlight, the chances of Clowney being a mid-level first-round pick improve.

4. It's about time. ...

Kudos to the NCAA for taking action in a couple of key areas this week.

The Division I Council voted to ban volunteer coaches in every sport, as they will be reclassified as full-time assistants. The number of countable coaches in baseball, softball and ice hockey will increase to four total in each sport, and basketball, men's and women's, will have an increase of two coaches each.

These additional coaches may engage in coaching activities but may not recruit off campus.

(So how do you think those volunteer coaches got by financially all these years? But I digress.)

The Council also updated the guidelines for the waiver process for undergraduate student-athletes who are transferring for a second time.

Each waiver request will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but moving forward, student-athletes must meet one of the following criteria to be granted a waiver to compete immediately:

A demonstrated physical injury or illness or mental health condition that necessitated the student's transfer (supporting documentation, care plans and proximity of the student's support system will be considered), or
Exigent circumstances that clearly necessitate a student-athlete's immediate departure from the previous school (e.g., physical assault or abuse, sexual assault) unrelated to the student-athlete's athletics participation.

The Council agreed that athletics reasons (lack of playing time, position presence) and academic preferences should not warrant waiver relief. The changes will go into effect for the 2023-24 seasons.

Meanwhile, former Alabama edge rusher Eyabi Okie, who was known as Eyabi Anoma before changing his name, announced Friday that he's put his name back in the transfer portal again. Once considered one of the top prospects in the recruiting Class of 2018, Okie spent this last season at Michigan as a graduate student.

His next school will be his fifth.