Thanks to a strong defense and the running of Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, everything came together for the Alabama Crimson Tide last season.
In 2009 it all came together for Alabama. The Crimson Tide went a perfect 12-0 in the regular season, beat Florida 32-13 in the SEC Championship Game and capped it off by beating Texas in the BCS National Championship Game, 37-21.
While the Tide has some holes to fill from last year’s departures, especially on defense, there is still a wealth of talent that is returning this year. That makes it easy to understand why 'Bama is the current college football betting favorite at 4/1 to repeat as National Champions again in 2010.
Alabama returns eight starters on offensive side of the football, including QB Greg McElroy and RB Mark Ingram. McElroy is not known for having a big time arm but he is known for his ability to effectively manage the game. He only threw for 2,508 yards last season, but more importantly he threw 17 TD’s and only four interceptions.
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McElroy also completed 61% of his passes making him extremely reliable in being able to move the ball by air if they have to. Also back is one of his favorite targets, WR Julio Jones, who led the team with 46 receptions for 596 yards.
Last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Ingram returns after rushing for a single-season school record 1,658 yards as a sophomore. He will be teamed in the backfield with Trent Richardson, who added an additional 751 yards on the ground. There is little doubt that these two will once again be the primary force behind an extremely potent Crimson Tide offensive attack.
Defensively, the Tide will be challenged to replace nine starters on defense, including LB Rolando McClain and CB Kareem Jackson, who both landed in the NFL. Dont’a Hightower is the likely replacement for McClain as he appears to be fully recovered from a knee injury. Defensive end Marcel Dareus and nose tackle Josh Chapman will anchor the line. Both players have the ability to dominate up front to not only stop the run but pressure the quarterback from every angle as well.
The biggest question mark for this unit will be in the secondary where the Crimson Tide lost all four starters and several nickel backs as well. Fortunately for Alabama, a deep roster has made it fairly easy to reload with good young talent at just about every position. The job of directing the secondary will fall on the shoulders of strong safety Mark Barron. He has already shown excellent on-field leadership skills and has the potential to be a tremendous playmaker down field.
Much of the continued success of this team can be attributed to the strong recruiting of head coach Nick Saban and his staff. While the roster is once again loaded for bear from a talent standpoint, the path to a second consecutive national title may not be as smooth as last year.
They have a brutal schedule with Penn State coming to town in week two and Florida making the trip up to Tuscaloosa in week five. Another potential trap game could be in week nine when they are on the road against LSU.
These are three games that you may want to lay off the Tide and take the points; otherwise I like them as the favorite the rest of the way.
While the SEC has been the strongest conference in college football the past few seasons, Alabama is still far and away the best of the bunch making their current 4-1 odds to repeat an attractive bet.