Reborn, renewed, rebuilt or any other adjective used to describe Alabama Football, the Crimson Tide is back. National pundits agree that Alabama has returned to its customary status as a national championship contender.
At the same time, the Crimson Tide is not an elite football team. Not yet, anyway, but there is time for Alabama to continue its improvement.
In the new world of college football, dispersion of talent may not have created parity throughout the FBS, but it has changed the number of elite teams. There may no longer be any elite teams and certainly not elite as the Alabama Crimson Tide was under Nick Saban. Or even as Georgia was in 2022 and 2023. Ohio State is maybe the only elite team in 2025. According to ESPN the Buckeyes have the No. 3 Strength of Record, but are only No. 33 in Strength of Schedule. Maybe the Buckeyes too, are not yet elite.
It is possible that 12 teams will go into the December playoff schedule with none being as elite as top past contenders. If so, there could be shocking upsets. The outcome of some games might be most determined by luck, injuries and the competence (or lack of) of the striped shirts.
The Alabama Crimson Tide and Resiliency
What we have learned about the Alabama Crimson Tide is Kalen DeBoer's team is resilient. He uses the word often. He is trying to inject that attribute into his team. In a college football world where endurance may be a stronger determinant of success than excellence, Alabama can prosper. So too can the Georgia Bulldogs. Maybe a few other teams as well.
In Week 9 of college football, it is good that national punditry is giving the Crimson Tide its due. ESPN's Pamala Maldonado opened a new piece with "I was wrong about the Alabama Crimson Tide." Previously judging Alabama not as a Playoff team, Maldonado now describes Alabama as "a team that rediscovered its core identity: efficient, composed, opportunistic. What started as a stumble has turned into a climb."
Also perceiving a lack of elite teams, ESPN's David Hale wrote that Alabama's win over Tennessee was not "flawless ... But perhaps that's the beauty of this year's Alabama. In a season in which no one seems to be elite, the Tide win -- and win emphatically -- despite their flaws."
According to ESPN, Alabama's probability of winning five more games before advancing to Atlanta is 25.2%. Much work remains. But if the Crimson Tide stays hungry and determined - and resilient, the Playoff could provide a special season.