Alabama Football: 5 bold predictions for CFP semifinal

Bold predictions for Alabama football vs. Notre Dame

4. Alabama will get at least 5 sacks

This sounds like a lot, and it is. Notre Dame has one of the best offensive lines in the country, and it won’t be easy to get pressure. That being said, there are a few reasons to believe that this will happen.

Let’s start with Alabama football’s defense. While they have always gotten pressure, Alabama has struggled with getting sacks for most of this year. However, things have turned around since the Iron Bowl. Will Anderson now leads the team in sacks, and Chris Allen is not far behind him. Allen has been Alabama’s most improved player this season. When he gets to the quarterback, he is liable to force a fumble as well.

Pairing Allen and Anderson would be enough to scare an offensive line, but you then add Christian Barmore from the interior. Barmore has stepped up in recent weeks, and he can also get pressure.

While all of this is great, it will take a little more to get this many sacks. The piece that we are forgetting is how this game will likely go. Alabama has a reputation for getting out to early leads. If Notre Dame wants to win the Rose Bowl, they will have to score at a high clip to keep up with Alabama. That means that they will be forced to throw the football more often. While they have the offensive line to protect Ian Book, they will be under pressure all game to throw the ball deep. This will either lead to turnovers or sacks. I choose sacks.