The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Miami Hurricanes are two of the most storied programs in all of college football. Since 1980 Alabama has won seven national championships and Miami has won five.
Now, they are set to face off in Atlanta this Saturday in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Alabama is currently an overwhelming favorite to beat the Hurricanes.
Miami Preview:
Miami returns 19 of 22 starters from a team that went 8-3 last season. Most notably they return star quarterback D’Eriq King. King is entering his sixth season at the collegiate level and has been one of the most dynamic playmakers at the position over the last few seasons. However, King is coming off an ACL injury that he sustained on December 29, 2020, in the bowl game against Oklahoma State. All indications are that King is healthy and ready to go, but until the lights come on and the bullets fly, it is hard to tell if someone is ready after coming back from such a serious injury.
Defensively, the Hurricanes return a good amount of production as well. Safety Bubba Bolden and defensive tackle Nesta Jade Silvera return to lead the defensive group for Manny Diaz.
King and the Miami defense will have to be at the top of their game to challenge Alabama.
Alabama Preview
It is no secret that Alabama is replacing a lot of star power on the offensive side of the ball. Mac Jones, Najee Harris, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, and Alex Leatherwood were all selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Sophomore Bryce Young is set to take the reigns of the Crimson Tide offense from Mac Jones at QB.
Alabama will most likely feature a stable of running backs to replace Najee Harris. Brian Robinson, Jase McClellan, and Trey Sanders seem to be players most primed to do so.
The receiver group added a talented transfer in Jameson Williams from Ohio State to pair with returning star John Metchie out wide. Alabama also brought in the best wide receiver class in the country this past spring lead by JoJo Earle and Agiye Hall.
The offensive line is also being re-worked with a couple of returning starters and other players who have some experience. Junior Evan Neal is back and will anchor the left side of the offensive line and is one of the top linemen in the entire country.
Defensively, Alabama is absolutely loaded with talent and experience at all three levels.
Along the defensive line, Alabama has anywhere between seven to nine players that could rotate in.
At linebacker, Alabama returns possibly the best outside linebacker duo in the entire country in Christopher Allen and Will Anderson. Then you look towards the middle of the defense and see Christian Harris paired with Tennessee transfer Henry To’o To’o, to make up a formidable pairing at inside linebacker.
In the back end of the Alabama defense, everyone is back with the exception of Patrick Surtain. Josh Jobe, Malachi Moore, Jordan Battle, and Brian Branch all return to make up a dynamic secondary for the Tide.
Overall Thoughts & Score Prediction
Alabama is the much more talented team on both sides of the ball. I expect Alabama to be able to run the ball with great consistency and in turn be able to connect on some deep play-action passes.
Score Prediction: Alabama 38 Miami 17