ESPN Inside - Top 25 Playoff Teams - Alabama

Seriously, if the OL is solid, Bama's going to be difficult to stop. The defense will be good, but if the OL can open creases (doesn't have to be like 2012) for the RBs to get solid yards consistently, the safeties will have to creep up in run support and the offense eat teams alive through the air.

It's ALL about the OL.

BamainBoston said:

QB,CB, and pass rush were their concerns.

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I agree with the fact that Alabama has questions that could adversely affect a Championship run. I just don't think they got the right ones. They project two of the weaknesses from last year (CB and pass rush) into 2014. The addition of a QB question mark isn't exactly incisive ground-breaking analysis. They missed the spotty OL play, and totally whiffed on the kicking game.

We'll be better at both CB and pass rush, because of added experience and return from injury (CB), a maturing Jonathan Allen and the addition of Pettway (pass rush). The improved DL rush will help both the LB pressure and the CBs with the QB having less time to throw.

I think our real question marks are:

QB -- Like I said, ESPN didn't reveal anything the world didn't already know. Sims hasn't been stellar when asked to run a full offense against a fully engaged defense, Coker is wholly unproven in action, and Bateman is a redshirt freshman who last played a game at a Utah HS. Legitimate question, to say the least. Good news is that Coker gets good reviews for everything except game performance, which is a total unknown.

OL -- We have all sorts of talent. But last year's performance was spotty, especially against good teams, and we lost a lot of those guys. 37 total returning starts across the five OL,is not normally a good harbinger. Add to that, about a third of those starts carry with them multiple missed assignments and crucial mental errors.

Best news I have to offer is that there are several JC AA and 5-star newcomers. That, and several knowledgeable TF posters are optimistic. I don't understand their optimism, but acknowledge their track record.

My personal opinion is that 2014 is make-or-break for Mario Cristobal as an OL coach. His recruiting isn't an issue. Without a doubt, talent is there. Performance, especially when it matters? Yet to be proven.

Kicking specialists -- Mandell as a punter is well-acknowledged as a huge hole to fill. Based on what I've seen, we may be using a true freshman who wasn't in spring practice. Morris has a big leg, but is incredibly inconsistent. Even when he does hit a long one, it's often low, and easily returnable.

We're going to miss Cade Foster, and I'm not kidding. True, he had a bad two games at the end of his career. But prior to that, he had a stellar 2013 at PK, and was materially improved at KO.

I fear that Adam Griffith's confidence was permanently shaken on the Plains. The outcome was not his fault (are you listening, OL and DL?), but his was the last kick, and I'm not at all convinced that it doesn't still affect him.

We may never kick, because we go for it on 4th and 10 or less, and always go for two after TDs. OK, I'm exaggerating on that point. But the kicking game I've seen will cost us at least one close game. If we're lucky.

Beyond true freshmen and open tryouts on the intra-mural fields, I have no good news on this front.

Overall good news is that we have the best talent in the country at RB, WR, TE, Safety, and overall team talent. We probably have an upgrade at OC (though it will be his first year with this team) and on the DL coach. We have, for the second time in my lifespan, the best Head Coach in college football.

4Q Basket Case predictions: Worst case, the starting QB gets hurt, and the Sims/Coker loser or Bateman is the starter. Given all the other questions, three losses minimum.

Realistic case: 1 - 2 regular season losses. Kicking specialists and OL questions catch up, and 1 - 2 games that could go either way, go the wrong way. The difference between 1 and 2 regular season losses is the difference between being in the Top 4 and being a woulda-coulda-shoulda year.

Over / Under on regular season losses: 1.5. And I could flip a coin.

Best case: QB turns out well, OL defies statistics and plays to talent level immediately, and kicking game somehow doesn't come back to haunt us. We're in the playoff as the favorite.