The Alabama Crimson Tide is looking to showcase an epic comeback this season after finishing the 2019 season 11-2 including a 35-16 Citrus Bowl win over Michigan. Last season was the first time Alabama didn’t make it to the College Football Playoff since it was created in 2014.
But the 2019 season started with strong hopes and potential to win it all for Alabama. Led by juniors Tua Tagovailoa, Jerry Jeudy, and Henry Ruggs III, Alabama was the easy favorite until they weren’t. Tua Tagovailoa’s season-ending injury last November was the nail in the coffin for the Tide’s hopes of winning a national championship.
But Alabama QB Mac Jones is looking to prove he’s the guy for the job, and with him returns RB Najee Harris, wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle, and a whole lot of other talent on both sides of the ball.
And according to ESPN, Alabama not only has the third best chance to make it to the 2020 CFB Playoff, they also have the third best chance to win the national title as well.
It’s also important to note that as of right now, Alabama’s FPI is a 29.0, behind Clemson with a 32.0 and Ohio State with a 30.0.
The Crimson Tide also has a 17.2% chance to win the 2020 National Title. Clemson currently has a 35.6% chance, and Ohio State has a 20.6% chance.
ESPN does note that besides Clemson returning quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the Tigers have a fairly easy schedule.
“Clemson’s toughest scheduled game this year, per FPI, is a road trip to South Bend, where the Tigers have “only” an 87% chance to come away victorious against Notre Dame. Clemson has a better than 90% chance to win every ACC contest it is set to play, the result of both the Tigers’ strength and a favorable conference schedule: They get Louisville at home and don’t play against the ACC’s second-best team, Virginia Tech.”
As for Alabama, there’s a chance the Tide could be facing 6 teams in the Top 25, including USC, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.
“We’ve already mentioned the value the model sees in powerhouse programs like Clemson bringing back high-end quarterbacks. The same is true of Ohio State, which has Justin Fields (third in QBR in 2019) back in 2020. And it’s kind of true for Alabama too. We got more than a cursory look at the Crimson Tide with Mac Jones at the helm last season (spoiler alert: The change to FPI we made means the model knows when Jones was playing!) and all in all the performance was strong. While not Tua Tagovailoa, Jones put up a 91.1 QBR after opponent adjustment, which means there’s reason to be optimistic about the Tide offense in 2020. Alabama’s offensive FPI ranks behind only Ohio State.”
And according to ESPN, the SEC and Big Ten have a 93% and 91% chance to put at least one team in the playoff.
There’s no doubt that Alabama will be returning this season with a mission to prove their still the best team in the country, and that the dynasty at Alabama is still alive and well.