SEC Football: 6 biggest takeaways from the first 6 weeks of 2023 season

1. Alabama’s quarterback situation is holding them back

Entering the season the quarterback position was a big question mark for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Without a starter named until the day of the first game against Middle Tennessee State, it was unclear who would fill the shoes of Bryce Young.

The day 1 starter ended up being Jalen Milroe. And in his first game it looked like all concerns were put to rest.

But Conference USA competition is not the measuring stick used to evaluate Alabama QB’s.

Instead it came the following week against the Texas Longhorns where key turnovers from Milroe ended up being the difference in their only loss so far.

In what could have been a disaster the following week against USF, Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson bombed in their audition which eventually led Nick Saban to crawl back to Milroe.

Alabama was in a state of quarterback turmoil many have never seen before. After the 17-3 win over USF, the Tide have won three consecutive conference games, one coming against Ole Miss.

It has been their defense and the improved, more consistent play from Milroe that has kept Alabama’s playoff hopes alive.

But this Alabama team is not a buzz saw, which it usually is by this time of the year.

Instead, they are still figuring things out, and while the growth is promising, the quarterback play will be a big question mark against the better teams remaining on the schedule.