Only three programs staffed with more top, impact players than Alabama Football

A common label for the highest level of college football players is game-changers. It is an imprecise term, used almost as often to describe potential rather than actual game performance. Alabama Football has game-changers. At the least, using only past performance as the measurement, Jalen Milroe, Tyler Booker, and Malachi Moore are Crimson Tide game-changers.

No team ever has too many potential game-changing players. Most teams don't come close to having enough.

When thinking about how much elite individual talents impact winning, a better description for players is 'key impact players'. FBS football has hundreds of key impact players and not all of them are well-known.

An exercise to gauge the future success of top teams is to compare their 'key impact players'. A standard must be applied. In this example, CBS Sports provides a measuring tool. About six weeks ago, CBS predicted the top 100 players for the 2024 season. More recently, the number was expanded to a top 150.

Alabama football fans are excited that Jalen Milroe, at No. 7, was ranked one spot above Georgia's Carson Beck, as the SEC's top quarterback. Alabama offensive guard, Tyler Booker was ranked No. 29. Tide defensive back, Malachi Moore was ranked No. 74, followed by offensive guard, Jaeden Roberts at No. 80, and linebacker Deontae Lawson at No. 84. In the expanded list, safety Keon Sabb was ranked No. 109.

Alabama Football and National Championship Contenders

Looking at Alabama's biggest challengers in a national championship race, only Ohio State, Oregon, and Georgia had more players in the CBS rankings than did the Crimson Tide. The Buckeyes had seven players in the top 100 and three more in the 101-150 list. Like Alabama, Georgia had five players in the top 100 but had two more than the Crimson Tide in the 101-150 rankings. Oregon had six players in the top 100, plus two more in the expanded rankings. Texas was equal to the Crimson Tide with five players ranked in the top 100, plus one more ranked in the top 150.

Ole Miss was not far behind Alabama with five players total, all in the top 100. LSU had three in the top 100 and one more ranked higher. The Tennessee Vols had two players ranked, both in the top 100.

Missouri and Kentucky had a couple of players each. The Auburn Tigers had zero players ranked in the top 150.

It takes more than game-changers and key impact players to win championships. But in tight games between top teams, fortune favors the teams with the most elite talent.