Alabama Football: 5 keys to win the National Championship

Keys for Alabama football to win the National Championship

4. Chris Owens must hold his own

Landon Dickerson is the best center in college football, and his impact on this team cannot be overstated. He is partially why the Tide won the Joe Moore Award, and he is an incredible leader off of the field.

Losing him for the season hurts. Thankfully, Alabama has an upperclassman to fill in his shoes. Chris Owens started against Notre Dame. He did alright, but there is certainly room for improvement.

Mac Jones is more nimble than we give him credit for, but he needs a clean pocket. That means that Owens needs to hold his own against the interior of Ohio State’s defensive line. They might not have a player as good as Chase Young or Nick Bosa, but they are still solid as a unit upfront.

Ohio State might be without players due to COVID-19, and rumors are that they might be without defensive linemen. That can’t play into how Alabama prepares, though. They need to act as if every Buckeye will be available to play their best game.

Losing a center is worse than a guard because they handle the football itself. Even if Owens misses a block or two, it is vital that he doesn’t make mistakes before the snap. Dickerson was elite pre-snap, and it helped Alabama get some offsides penalties. Owens won’t do that, but he at least needs to give Mac Jones a quality snap to avoid any major mistakes.