In the 2014 season, Alabama was one of the four best teams in the country. They made the inaugural College Football Playoff, and lost to the team that would go on to be the National Champion. Even so, last year’s Alabama team was one of the least successful Crimson Tide squads of the last decade.
Alabama lost a significant amount of talent from last year, with seven players drafted into the NFL, tying them for fourth-most lost by a school this season. That being said, they still have a collection of highly touted players behind last year’s starters that will fill in and cause havoc for the Badgers.
On offense, Alabama returns one starter from last year, sophomore left tackle Cam Robinson. That doesn’t tell the full story though, as their two running backs, junior Derrick Henry and senior Kenyan Drake, both got carries last year backing up T.J. Yeldon. Senior quarterback Jake Coker was in a battle to start last season with Blake Sims, so he is still a quality replacement behind center. Two seniors, center Ryan Kelly and tackle Dominick Jackson, will be slotted into starting offensive line roles, further adding to the great deal of experience among this year’s starters.
In terms of scheme, the Crimson Tide will look similar to last year’s squad. The clash between head coach Nick Saban’s pro-style, run-heavy offensive scheme and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin’s West Coast spread creates an unparalleled multi-look system. The playcalling alternates between screen passes that stretch the field and formations that overload the line of scrimmage with tight ends and fullbacks. Last year’s team would favor whichever pole of their spectrum best took into account the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. For this reason, it would be safe to expect a run-heavy gameplan against the Badgers to capitalize on UW’s relative inexperience in the front seven.
Defensively, Bama returns six of their front seven, as well as two of their four defensive backs. The returns to the front seven will be the key for the Crimson Tide all season due to their reputation as a run-stopping defense that stifles the traditionally run-heavy SEC. In a matchup with Wisconsin, their run-stopping ability will be equally important due to UW’s fondness for running the ball, as well as its inexperienced offensive line that might have growing pains in the first few games of the season.
The Tide also brings back both junior kicker Adam Griffith and sophomore punter J.K. Scott, which seems insignificant at first glance without knowing that Scott was a freshman All-American last year, and will help Alabama win the field position battle.
The Crimson Tide match up incredibly well against the strengths and weaknesses of the Badgers, and it would take an otherworldly performance for Wisconsin to come out on top.
