Did the players on the 61 team still play both ways or had they started platooning by then?
If they played both ways, wouldn't it be fair only if the 2017 team did the same which begs the question, would you want the 2017 offense playing defense or the 2017 defense playing offense?
The problem with this is that there are a LOT of things different from 1961 to 2017.
Freshmen didn't play
It was entirely a regional affair
It was primarily a running contest (the leading yardage passer in 1961 was Ron Miller....with 1,487, or Tua's total for 5 games last year, none of which he played in the fourth quarter)
Running means you play fewer plays (because the clock keeps running)
And there wasn't a single black player on either Alabama or their opponents
I surmise that if the 2017 team had to play both ways, they'd be far better at it.
In no way am I knocking the 1961 team, but the advances in medicine, training, and knowledge would make this a mismatch. It's not just CFB - it's this way in every single sport. There were Olympic records set in the early days that are easily attained by high school athletes today. Of course, that doesn't mean that every single player in 2017 is better than every single on in 1961, either.