The rapid evolution of college football over the last several years has hurt the Alabama program in a lot of ways. First and foremost, the ability of players to transfer freely between schools has limited the Tide’s ability to stack elite depth like it did in the most dominant years of its dynasty.
In one aspect, however, the “new” college football could benefit Alabama. The 2024 season includes the introduction of a 12-team playoff for the first time. As a result, for the first time in decades, Alabama’s season is still alive despite it having two losses in the month of October.
Now, anyone who has watched Bama play over the duration of this month would say that this team has no chance to win a national title. While it’s slim and ever-shrinking, I believe that chance is still there. The talent level on this roster, in combination with its big-game experience, gives this Alabama Football team one of the highest ceilings in the country.
Of course, it has not played to that potential for much of this season and has effectively eliminated all of its margin for error. Still, it has shown flashes. The Alabama team that went up to Wisconsin put on a national championship-caliber performance. The squad that took the field in the first half against Georgia did as well.
Going forward, Alabama just needs to find ways to win games, much like Kalen DeBoer’s Washington team did last year. Unlike the 2023 Huskies, DeBoer’s first Bama team has struggled in finishing close games. If it can find a way to start winning those games consistently, it will buy itself time. I don’t think this team has peaked yet. The challenge now is keeping its playoff hopes alive so that if and when that peak comes, it’s meaningful.
The 2022 Alabama squad underachieved throughout the season. A highly talented roster with lots of potential, that team lost two regular season games. It showed signs that it was starting to gel late in the season, dominating Auburn in the Iron Bowl and Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl to close out the 2022 campaign. In the 4-team playoff era, however, it was too late for that team.
In 2024, Alabama has the luxury of a safety net. I’m not saying it's likely that this team eventually begins to look like a title contender; they’ve shown nothing even vaguely resembling that in recent weeks. However, with the expanded playoff, this team has an unprecedented opportunity at second and third chances to right the ship. We will just have to wait and see if they can capitalize on those opportunities.