Hang out more in NS. Its an election year. Great way to get your blood pumping, have a few laughs, poke fun at some people and maybe shed a few tears. Not unlike football season.
News Article: Alabama May Have the Most Loaded Roster in College Football History
- Thread starter B1GTide
- Start date
If so, it's sure not reflected in the ESPN 2016 Preseason FPI preason poll. We didn't even make their top 5.:conf2:
Which just so happens to coincide with the softening of their schedule. Not blaming JP. Georgia needs much better and tougher players on that side of the ball.
It's a pretty unbelievable collection of talent for sure, but it probably says something about the wisdom of the roster limits that and the effect of the "I've gotta play right away" mindset that, even with all that talent, we're pretty thin at a few spots. Just a tiny bit of bad luck at WR or RB, for example, and we'll be in danger territory.
The only place that I see Alabama thin is at RB, and then only if the incoming recruit Emmons doesn't qualify or struggles developing. You have three #1 WRs in Foster, Ridley and Stewart. No other school in the country comes close.
And cap off the WR with OJ Howard at TE who seems like he really gets it now. I am hopeful that Emmons qualifies to give us the depth we need there.
Just my quick snapshot assessment of next year vs this past year based on talent and potential - FWIW
RB - Down
WR - Up (experience)
OL - Even
TE - Up (If Howard's last 2 games are any indication)
QB - Even to up
DL - Even to down (pass - slightly up Run - slightly down)
LB - Even - Losing Ragland hurts but we have solid backups and a monster recruiting class
DB - Up (Experience)
ST - Returns - Slightly down
- Coverage - Even
- Punt and PK - should be up with Grif is healthy and JK gets his consistency back
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I like the starters too (although we'd have to get hypothetical to Stewart a #1), but "thin" would generally refer to what is behind the starters. We got lucky in essentially only losing one major skill player to a long-lasting injury last year: a loss to another, say, Henry or Ridley, and we would've been a very different team. The same is pretty much true again this year.
Of course, what I'm talking about also doesn't only have to do with this year. I'm also thinking about the rotations of replacements that college football programs have to be constantly cultivating.
We're loaded at WR assuming Sims and Foster get healthy. Tailback depth is the big deal. I think Bo is going to be a star and Harris is probably better than he indicated this year too. After those two, we're talking about preferred walk ons.
Not really. This is stretching facts to fit a theory.
Look over UGA's schedule and see what points they gave up. Three opponents all year long scored more than 20 points against them - Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida.
Now simply look at the games.
Alabama scored 38, but the defense only gave up 24 because one touchdown was Minkah Fitzpatrick's blocked put and another was Eddie Jackson's pick six. You can't blame those on the defense. Furthermore, Georgia turned the ball over four times. So UGA's defense gave up 24 points to a team that averaged 31.2 ppg against REAL opponents (deducting the inflated scores like 55-0 over CSU).
Against Tennessee, the Bulldogs tore out to a 24-3 lead despite losing star RB Nick Chubb for the year on his first carry. The game flipped when UGA fumbled a kickoff and gave Tenn a short field and another easy quick TD to get them back into it.
That said - Tennessee did gash them in the second half.
In the Florida game, UGA had five turnovers. 20 of Florida's 27 points were the direct result of turnovers, including one deep in UGA's own red zone. Even Alabama is going to have trouble winning games when the Tide makes five turnovers.
But a look at some of their performances suggests they were pretty good:
Ga Southern 36.5 ppg (UGA gave up: 17)
Ga Tech 29.3 (7)
Auburn 27.5 (13, same total Alabama held them)
UK 24.7 (3)
Penn St 23.2 (17)
ULM 21.9 (14)
Mizzou 13.6 (6)
Given that Mark Richt recruited those players and Pruitt only got a partial say one year - I think those results are pretty good. A good defense, not a great one. If they didn't have a good defense then they wouldn't have been holding even 'not as good as Alabama' teams well below their PPG average.
Hehehe....that orange BAMA hat thread was epic! People in this forum are freaking hilarious in their responses to that!!
And yet ESPN doesn't even rank us in the top five teams next year, according to their "flupus" index or whatever they call it. They would never do anything so boring as to say "Bama's gonna win it all again next year, folks..."
TBH Earle, I hope we hear this all off-season and pre-season. Telling a 4* or 5* athlete that is highly competitive, which is a recruiting trait we look for, and that you can't win next year is going to make him/them hungry. I hope the media piles on like they did in 2015.
This says it all...
I have read we have 19 5* on our roster for 2016. I don't believe this is accurate.
That's just the ESPN rankings. According to 247, there are 17:
2013- Jonathan Allen, Robert Foster, Rueben Foster, and OJ Howard
2014- Cam Robinson, Da'Shawn Hand, Marlon, Tony Brown and Rashaan Evans
2015- Calvin, Kendall Sheffield, Blake Barnett, Daron Payne, Minkah, and Damien Harris
2016- Jonah Williams, Mack Wilson, and Ben Davis
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True. However, I like being out of the top 5. Entitlement doesn't set in quite as fast. Hopefully the leadership of next year's team took some good notes on what leadership should look like and hard work. i think Tom Luginbill is the only person who has Alabama as #1 and I consider him to be the most insightful analyst on TV.
He's the only one that doesn't have Alabama #1.
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The "19" are consensus 5* recruits according to the article - probably a more reliable measure than just picking a single service (even 247). Still, by any measure Alabama has the most and it isn't close.
Alabama has had the most for the last 4 years. Half of those years ended in championships. Even with the talent disparity, it is pretty amazing that you have managed to win so many championships; there is so much luck involved. Simply amazing.
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