Regardless of one loss, Alabama earned a spot in the College Football Playoff and won a national championship last season despite having the toughest schedule in the nation.
This fall, head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide will try to become the first program to repeat as national champions in the playoff era. Its 2016 schedule may not seem as threatening as the gauntlet it faced in 2015, yet there are five schools that will pose a threat to Alabama.
5. USC Trojans—Saturday, Sept. 10
Gone are its days of having star-studded names like Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Dwayne Jarrett, LenDale White, Marqise Lee and Matt Barkley; however, USC is still a big time program.
The Trojans finished 8-6 last season under first-year head coach Clay Helton.
It advanced to the Pac-12 conference title game as co-champions of the South Division, but would end up falling to Stanford 41-22. Cody Kessler’s departure to the National Football League will have USC in search for a new quarterback, but the return of star wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster should make things easier. He totaled 1,454 yards and 10 touchdowns on 89 catches.
A solid tandem of Ronald Jones II and Justin Davis will return to the Trojans backfield.
Jones, a rising sophomore, collected 987 rushing yards with eight touchdowns on 153 carries in 2015. Davis, a rising senior, chimed in with 902 yards and seven scores on 169 attempts.
Linebacker Porter Gustin returns as one of the captains on defense. He recorded 5.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks during his freshman season in 2015. Iman Marshall and John Plattenburg will anchor USC’s secondary. The two combined for five interceptions (Marshall, 3) last season.
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas will the venue for Alabama-USC. Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin will face a program that he helped build into a powerhouse in the early 2000s.
Redshirt freshman Blake Barnett is a native of Corona, Calif. a chance to start against the Trojans would give an opportunity to battle the most heralded college school in his birth state.
The Crimson Tide will enter its third season of trying to locate a starting quarterback to open the year. To be tested by a strong power five conference will be entertaining at best.
4. Arkansas Razorbacks—Saturday, Oct. 8
Arkansas has given Alabama a scare in the last two seasons.
Defensive back Landon Collins snatched victory for the Crimson Tide in 2014 on a game-ending interception.
Alabama left Razorback Stadium with a 14-13 win.
An 81-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Coker to Calvin Ridley is what saved the Tide from embarrassment last season. Arkansas led Alabama 7-3 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in the third quarter, prior to that possession happening. The Tide would go on to win by a score of 27-14.
The Razorbacks averaged 35.9 points per game in its third season under head coach Brett Bielema. It finished 8-5 last season, with five wins coming in the Southeastern Conference.
Arkansas loses quarterback Brandon Allen, running backs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams, tight end Hunter Henry and wide receiver Keon Hatcher to the National Football League, but it returns a talented roster nonetheless. Kody Walker and Rawleigh Williams III will makeup the Razorbacks backfield.
Walker collected 394 yards and six scores in 2015.
Wide out Drew Morgan emerged a catalyst for Allen when Hatcher and receiver Cody Hollister were out with injuries. He led the team in receiving with 63 catches for 843 yards and 10 scores.
The Razorbacks also return Dominique Reed, Jeremy Sprinkle, Jared Cornelius and Hollister for next season.
Defensively, Arkansas will be led by linebacker Brooks Ellis and defensive lineman Deatrich Wise, Jr. Ellis led the team in tackles (102), while Wise put in 10.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks last year. Defensive back DJ Dean put in two interceptions and three pass breakups in 2015. He returns with Josh Liddell, Santos Ramirez, Henre’ Toliver and Ryan Pulley.
3. Ole Miss Rebels—Saturday, Sept. 17
The hype building up to Alabama-Ole Miss may not be as strong next season as it was in the last two years; however, the Crimson Tide does look to avoid a third defeat from the Rebels.
An opportunistic defense and some uncanny plays on offense helped Mississippi clinch a 43-37 win last season at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Jacob Coker led a valiant comeback in the second half, but five turnovers ultimately doomed Alabama.
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will be as the site this year.
Ole Miss beat Alabama 23-17 on a game-clinching interception from defensive back Senquez Golson in 2014.
Offensively, the Rebels must replace wide outs Laquon Treadwell and Cody Core along with offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil. Running back Jaylen Walton will also depart to the National Football League. Mississippi returns Chad Kelly at quarterback and a talented group of receivers headlined by juniors Damore’ea Stringfellow and Markell Pack. Tight end Evan Engram serves as an athletic safety valve, totaling 464 yards and two scores on 38 catches.
Some inventory will be taken on defense as Ole Miss loses defensive backs Mike Hilton and Trae Elston, defensive linemen Robert Nkemdiche and C.J. Johnson and linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche. It returns linebacker DeMarquis Gates, who led the team in tackles (76) last season.
Pass rush specialist Marquis Haynes returns also, after posting 16.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks during the 2015 season. Defensive backs Tony Bridges, Kendarious Webster, C.J. Hampton and Tony Conner will have the secondary in line.
Former Crimson Tide standout Blake Sims was a first-year starter went he went to Oxford, Miss. In 2014. The Grove is a hostile environment, especially for a young quarterback.
2. LSU Tigers—Saturday, Nov. 5
Playing at Tiger Stadium is always tough. LSU’s running back Leonard Fournette is winless in two tries against Alabama.
The Crimson Tide’s defense ripped a Heisman Trophy possibility away from him last season, limiting Fournette to 31 yards on 19 carries (1.6 average).
He will be out for revenge this fall, hoping to capitalize off a strong finish to 2015. LSU will be wide receivers Trey Quinn and John Diarse, as both decided to transfer elsewhere.
Travin Dural and Malachi Dupre return as the playmakers on the outside. Dupre, a rising junior, led the team in receptions with 43 for 698 yards and six touchdowns. Having talent at running back and receiver is nice, but the Tigers need a competent signal-caller to bring it all together.
Brandon Harris has been solid at times, but then there are moments in which Tigers’ head coach Les Miles handicaps him.
LSU must find balance on offense, if it intends to beat Alabama. A 9-6 win in 2011 was its last victory over the Tide.
Linebacker Deion Jones will head to the NFL Draft, nonetheless, the Tigers welcome back Kendell Beckwith, Davon Godchaux, Christian LaCouture and Lewis Neal to its defensive front.
Defensive back Jamal Adams should hold down the secondary. He led the team with four interceptions last year. Rickey Jefferson and Tre’Davious White will accompany him.
LSU-Alabama is one of the better rivalry games, aside from the Iron Bowl. Both programs play hard and recruit even harder.
The Crimson Tide defeated LSU 30-16 at Bryant-Denny Stadium during the 2015 season, yet its 20-13 win in 2014 took overtime to decide in Baton Rouge, La.
1. Tennessee Volunteers—Saturday, Oct. 15
Let’s put all the off-field issues to the side for a moment.
Tennessee returns the best possible group of talent and experience that could generate a loss for Alabama next season. Volunteers’ head coach Butch Jones was made a $4 million ($4.1 million) man this offseason, receiving a $500,000 raise after guiding the program to a 9-4 record.
The raise now comes with a huge responsibility. Tennessee is now expected to upset a few upper echelon teams in the SEC in 2016. It has the quarterback to do it with rising senior Joshua Dobbs returning. He threw for 2,291 yards with 15 touchdowns to five interceptions in 2015.
Dobbs gave Volunteer fans energy in 2014 when he engineered a comeback against Alabama at Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee ultimately fell 34-20, but fans saw the potential in Dobbs. The Volunteers held a 14-13 lead against the Crimson Tide last season at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
A huge drive from Jacob Coker secured a comeback win for Alabama, 19-14. The “Third Saturday in October” showdown returns to Knoxville, Tenn. And the Vols are ready.
A good one, two punch of Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara both return at running back.
Hurd amassed 1,288 yards and 12 touchdowns on 277 carries as a freshman. Kamara held his own with 698 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 107 attempts. Being a dual-threat quarterback is special for Dobbs, as he rushed for 671 yards with 11 scores in 13 games.
Wide receiver may be an area of weakness for Tennessee.
It no longer has Von Pearson, Alton “Pig” Howard or Marquez North. Josh Malone, Josh Smith and tight end Ethan Wolfe all come back; however, the Volunteers will rely on some young players to develop at that position.
The trio of Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Derek Barnett and Corey Vereen should set the tone on defense. Maybin, a linebacker, decided to forgo the NFL Draft and return for a senior year.
He anchored the team with 105 total tackles and 14 tackles for loss. Reeves-Maybin finished with six sacks, making him second behind Barnett (10). Barnett recorded 12.5 tackles for loss, while Vereen stood with 9.5 and 3.5 sacks.
Emmanuel Moseley, Cameron Sutton, Evan Berry and Todd Kelly, Jr. will run the defensive backfield. Moseley had a team-high 10 pass breakups and Kelly had three interceptions in 2015.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @ESPN_Future.
