With questions at quarterback entering the 2023 campaign, Alabama football looks to capture their first national championship since 2020. If the Crimson Tide don’t claim a national title this season, it will be the longest period of time that Nick Saban has gone at the school without winning one.
Anchoring the defense for the Tide this year will be returning starters Dallas Turner, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Malachi Moore. With the addition of new Defensive Coordinator Kevin Steele, the Tide will look to improve on their average of 18 points per game allowed in 2022, which had them tied for ninth in the country.
On offense last season, the Tide boasted a 41.1 average points per game performance led by Quarterback Bryce Young who departed for the NFL. That was good enough for fifth in the country, but still found the Tide on the losing side of things twice last season against LSU and Tennessee by a combined four points. The top returning starters on the Tide’s offense include Running Back Jase McClellan and Wide Receiver Ja’Corey Brooks.
Here are my predictions on how Alabama football’s schedule will break down:
Alabama Football 2023 Game-by-Game Predictions
Middle Tennessee State (Tuscaloosa, AL) – Quarterback Controversy for the Tide will be paramount entering this game, and it will remain after it. With a weaker opponent in MTSU week one, the Tide won’t be able to get a great feel for who the starting Quarterback should be as all should play well given the competition. Expect the Tide to be more balanced this season, starting with this one. They’ll rely heavily on the Offensive Line and run game with McClellan and company and will defeat MTSU 41-7.
Texas (Tuscaloosa, AL) – Already announced as a night game in Tuscaloosa, this showdown will fail to disappoint. The Tide will edge out the Longhorns 21-17 defeating them for the second year in a row in the two-game series. It won’t look pretty, but Jalen Milroe will assert himself to Nick Saban as the starting Quarterback for the Crimson Tide after leading them to victory over Texas. A win like this however could see Milroe’s confidence, as well as the Tide’s as a whole, take off.
South Florida (Tampa, FL) – Coming off of an emotional win last week against the Longhorns that gives them renewed confidence, the Tide will continue their journey towards a national championship defeating the USF Bulls 35-3 boasting a stifling defensive performance. This will have the Tide 3-0 entering SEC play.
Ole Miss (Tuscaloosa, AL) – Ole Miss is always a solid team under former Nick Saban Assistant, Lane Kiffin. This however does not predict to be one of Ole Miss’s stronger teams under Kiffin. The Tide will be able to handle business in this one riding the homefield advantage 28-3 as the defense continues to roll and Jalen Milroe continues to manage the Tide’s offense efficiently.
Mississippi State (Starkville, MS) – Every road game in the SEC is challenging, and this contest will be no different. The Mississippi State Bulldogs will give fans their money’s worth hanging with the Tide but with the Tide separating late winning the game 27-13.
Texas A&M (College Station, TX) – This could be a trap game for Alabama football with the Aggies confident in their starting Quarterback, Conner Weigman, who passed for 896 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions in five appearances last season. The secondary for the Tide will also be tested as the Aggies return Wide Receiver Evan Stewart who looks to take the next step as an elite number one. The Tide will lose a close contest here 24-17. This will put them at 5-1 on the season.
Arkansas (Tuscaloosa, AL) – A much-needed home game against the Hogs here coming off of a loss to the Aggies last week. Look for the Tide to expose Arkansas on the ground again as they did last year when they gave up 317 yards on the ground. The Tide will rush for over 400 yards this time between Jalen Milroe and their stable of running backs propelling them to a bounce back 42-10 victory. This will improve the Tide to 6-1 on the season.
Tennessee (Tuscaloosa, AL) – An emotionally charged Crimson Tide team will make a statement this year against the Vols in Tuscaloosa winning this one 55-10. A last-second field goal loss in Knoxville last season in this fierce rivalry will have Tide fans on their feet early and often giving the Tide added motivation they did not need to take care of the Vols. Look for this to be the type of game where Tennessee hangs in early, but once the Tide get a double-digit lead the Vols could collapse.
LSU (Tuscaloosa, AL) – Year two for the Tigers under Brian Kelly will see an even more improved team from last season in which the Tigers defeated the Tide in overtime last year 32-31 in Baton Rouge. With that being said, the Tide will be extra focused for this one, much like they were the week before against the Vols coming off of a loss to them last year as well. Unlike the one-sided affair from the previous week however, this one will be close until the end with the Tide winning by a field goal, 24-21. This will improve the Tide to 8-1 on the season as they hit the road for a game at Kentucky.
Kentucky (Lexington, KY) – Kentucky could be a team that surprises people this season. How they fare on the year going into the game against the Crimson Tide could dictate what kind of Wildcats team shows up to challenge the Tide in Lexington. If all are healthy by this point in the season, Kentucky will bring in Starting Quarterback and NC State transfer, Devin Leary who threw for over 6,800 yards during his four years for the Wolfpack. Kentucky also returns a young receiving core from last year that should be much improved. With all of this being said, expect this to be more of a test for the Tide than most would think. Alabama will win this one 31-24, but won’t feel great about the defensive performance, leaving many questions remaining before the Iron Bowl in two weeks against their arch-nemesis, the Auburn Tigers.
Chattanooga (Tuscaloosa, AL) – Don’t think Nick Saban will let the Tide take this once lightly against Chattanooga. Although an FCS opponent, Saban traditionally uses these games to really challenge his team to do better. You’ll often times see him even more animated on the sidelines than against SEC foes. This has served the Tide well in the past and look for it to remain as the Tide take this one 42-0 in preparation for Auburn. This will leave the Tide feeling much better about their defense after allowing 24 points to Kentucky one week prior.
Auburn (Auburn, AL) – Year one under Hugh Freeze is always a winning record for the previous Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Liberty Head Coach. Not only that, but Freeze has shown that he can beat Nick Saban, doing it twice as Head Coach at Ole Miss in back-to-back seasons. And lastly, let us not forget that it’s the Iron Bowl which is one of the most intense rivalries in all of sports. With all of this being said, Auburn should enter the game with 4-5 losses and not with the level of talent that most anticipate Freeze to have later in his tenure with the Tigers. The Tide also have the motivation of the College Football Playoff being within sight if they take this one. Whereas if they lose it, with a conference loss earlier in the year already to the Aggies, this will ultimately end the Tide’s National Championship hopes. Therefore, the Tide will take this one 35-10. This will put the Tide at 12-1 to end the regular season.
Despite an SEC West divisional loss to Texas A&M, if the Tide handle their business outside of that, they should have a strong chance to get to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game.
In this contest, as of right now the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs are the overwhelming favorite to win the SEC East and would face the Tide. Expect the Tide to win this one 31-24 in another Georgia-Alabama thriller.
From there, the question is how the playoffs would pan out. My prediction can be found below.