They're not THAT much worse - it's not like they're playing a bunch of FCS teams. Those teams give scholarships, too - just not tot he same level athletes that Bama faces in conference.
But I'd be interested ins being the injuries from Clemson vs those from Bama over the last five years. I have no idea what the data would show, but I suspect Bama has seen far more injuries from playing bigger, stronger teams. And injuries obviously matter. Not just those that are season ending, but those that linger and slow you down - you played sports, you know what I mean.