2013 College Football Preseason Rankings: #1 Alabama Crimson Tide BCS Odds and Predictions

2013 College Football Preseason Rankings: #1 Alabama Crimson Tide BCS Odds and Predictions: It’s tough to call winning a national title a typical year, but for the Alabama Crimson Tide, it pretty much is. Nick Saban’s bunch won its second consecutive national championship in 2012 and its third in four seasons. Granted, the season wasn’t without some tense moments, including a loss to Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M and thrilling comebacks against LSU in the regular season and Georgia in the SEC title game, but in the end, the Crimson Tide rode their stout defense and efficient offense to the top of the college football world yet again, capping the year with a thrashing of Notre Dame in the BCS Championship. Needless to say the bar has been set pretty high heading into the 2013 season, and anything less than a three-peat is going to seem like a letdown.

The Good News:

Quarterback A.J. McCarron has two national titles in two years as a starter, and he is back after leading the country in passing efficiency last season. Meanwhile, T.J. Yeldon is set to become the workhorse of the backfield after topping 1,000 yards as a true freshman in 2012, and the speedy Amari Cooper leads the best receiving corps Alabama has had since Nick Saban became coach. In other words, the offense is loaded. With last year’s team MVP C.J. Mosley and the rest of the Crimson Tide’s linebacking corps all returning, the defense shouldn’t be too bad either. Throw in the best coach in the country and the top-rated recruiting class, and the Crimson Tide are as loaded as ever.

The Bad News:

The offensive line loses an Outland Trophy winner along with two other players that were picked in the first round of the NFL Draft. Last year’s leading rusher Eddie Lacy was also an early pick in the draft. Meanwhile, the defense will be without cornerback Dee Milliner, who was a top-10 pick, and three starters along the defensive line. Last but not least, Alabama’s kicking situation still isn’t great, and you only have to think back to the Crimson Tide’s 9-6 overtime loss to LSU in 2011 to know how that could come back to bite them in a big spot.

Outlook:

Despite the losses along the offensive line, Alabama might have its most potent scoring attack during its run of championships. McCarron has emerged as a star at the quarterback spot and a Heisman candidate, and the Crimson Tide are loaded with firepower at the skill positions. Meanwhile, the losses along the defense front should be even less of an issue because this year’s starters rotated in fairly often as backups. The schedule also shapes up nicely, especially by SEC standards. Alabama will have to go on the road to try to avenge its loss to Manziel and the Aggies early in the year, but the Crimson Tide host rival LSU and dodge the power teams from the SEC East. Basically, 10 of the 12 games on Alabama’s regular season schedule should result in blowouts, and with experienced players like McCarron and Mosley providing leadership for a roster full of five-star talent, there isn’t a team in the country that the Crimson Tide can’t defeat. At minimum, Alabama should be able to win the SEC West, and another trip to the SEC title game and the national title game seem very possible, as well.

Prediction: 12-0, SEC West Division Champions

Preseason Vegas Odds for Alabama’s 2013 College Football Team:
Alabama’s 2013 Odds to Win BCS Championship: +300
Alabama’s 2013 Odds to Win SEC West Division: -250
Alabama’s 2013 Odds to Win SEC Championship: -125

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