After a slow start to the 2023 college football season, the Alabama Crimson Tide currently stand at 2-1 heading into SEC play this weekend. The Tide’s lone loss this season came against one of, if not the best teams in the entire country against the No. 3 Texas Longhorns in Bryant-Denny Stadium. As a result, many people have written Alabama out of the playoff race as well as SEC title contention.
While it will be no easy task, the Tide still have a chance to win the SEC and find their way into the final four, but their margin for error is zero. Ole Miss will be no easy task this weekend as they have one of the highest-flying offenses in the country behind former Alabama OC, Lane Kiffin. However, if the Tide want to get their season turned around there is no better opportunity than to get a victory against a Top 15 opponent.
It is still very early in the season with nine games to go, but 247Sports predicts that the Crimson Tide will miss the playoffs and appear in the Citrus Bowl against the Maryland Terrapins. The matchup doesn’t have the glitz and glamour that the Alabama faithful are accustomed to seeing, but squaring off against former OC Mike Locksley and Taulia Tagovailoa would be an intriguing headline.
“During the rare years the Crimson Tide failed to reach the New Year’s Six under Nick Saban, they played here in Orlando. And the Citrus Bowl’s not going to pass up a possible opportunity to get Alabama in its game this time around either as a possible three or four-loss team. Alabama was lucky to escape Saturday’s trip to Tampa against USF with a victory as a 34-point favorite. Meanwhile, Maryland’s 3-0 under Mike Locksley after scoring 42 unanswered points during a pasting of Virginia.”
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