Alabama Football: Assessing four SEC challengers on 2023 schedule

Four of the fiercest annual rivals for Alabama football appear to be on the rise, and could give the Crimson Tide difficult games in 2023. Three of these opponents are worthy SEC West challengers, while the fourth is a brash up-and-coming rival out of the East.

Alabama football went 11-2 last season, losing a pair of SEC games and failing to win its division. Bama detractors have repeatedly said that the rest of the league has caught up to Nick Saban, but I don’t believe that to be the case.

Given that two last-second Alabama losses were cause for celebration and jubilation across the college football landscape, I would argue that Bama still gets its due respect in the SEC.

Still, it can’t be denied that several league rivals are in hot pursuit, and hope to keep gaining on the Tide in 2023. Who are these foes, and how can the Alabama program keep a gap between itself and the challengers?