2021 Alabama Crimson Tide College Football Schedule Analysis
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
Nick Saban’s 14th season in Tuscaloosa will go down as another all-time great for the college football legend notching his fifth national championship with the Crimson Tide, seventh overall. Surprisingly, the 13-0 run was just Saban’s second undefeated run at Alabama posting his last unblemished season in 2009 (14-0). As Sabana and Co. look to repeat for just the second time in Tuscaloosa (2011-12), does the 2021 schedule lay out in a favorable way to turn dreams into reality?
The 2020 Bama squad was loaded on offense, especially in the trenches with four returning starters coming back. The skill positions were all-world with Heisman finalist in running back Najee Harris, quarterback Mac Jones, and eventual winner receiver DeVonta Smith. With seven starters back on offense, the defense, with just five returning, was the big question mark. The defense had some head scratching games against prolific passing attacks in Ole Miss and Florida, but otherwise was a lockdown unit, especially in the College Football Playoff holding Notre Dame to 14 points and Ohio State to 24.
The Bama roster flips heading into 2021 with a very inexperienced offense but with a defense that could carry the team to Atlanta and beyond.
2021 Alabama Crimson Tide Schedule Analysis
Week 1 Sept. 4 vs. Miami at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
Technically an away contest, but for as many games as Alabama has played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in recent years, this should be a second home site venue for the Crimson Tide. Miami is another one of college football’s bluebloods seeking to make it back to the top, but have fallen on hard times since joining the ACC in 2004. The tougher schedule and coaching carrousel, five since 2004, have prevented Miami from being Miami. The Hurricanes posted a solid 8-3, 7-2 ACC, 2020 season ending with a No. 22 AP ranking. With Notre Dame out, Miami can make their march back to the ACC’s second-best team with a Coastal Division title.
Alabama holds the all-time series 14-3. The last meeting was 34-13 Crimson Tide national championship winning contest in the Superdome closing out the 1992 campaign.
Week 2 Sept. 11 vs. Mercer at Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, AL)
The domination over Georgia programs continues, albeit against an FCS squad in Mercer. Mercer started the 2020 season off with four losses but then won five of seven with a four-game winning streak in the mix.
Week 3 Sept. 18 at Florida – Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (Gainesville, FL)
With Kyle Trask slinging the pigskin to all his weapons, the SEC Championship game was a shootout. The Gators kept picking themselves off the canvas fighting to a 52-46 finish. In more ways than one, this will be Dan Mullen’s biggest coaching challenge to date at Florida. Entering his fourth season, and coming off an 8-4 season with an outside shot at receiving a CFB Playoff invitation, his offense has been cleaned out by the NFL Draft.
The Gators get Florida Atlantic and South Florida to get the offense up to speed against this pulverizing defense.
Week 4 Sept. 25 vs. Southern Miss at Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, AL)
After a respectful 28-22 record at Southern Miss, one game into the 2020 season head coach Jay Hopson was done with the Golden Eagles. The team would piecemeal a 3-7, 2-4 C-USA, campaign. With Hopson now on staff at Mississippi State, Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall takes over. Hall has games against South Alabama, Grambling State, and Troy to figure out the offense before facing this goliath.
Week 5 Oct. 2 vs. Ole Miss at Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, AL)
They won 63-48, but knowing how competitive Nick Saban is, this showdown against Lane Kiffin has to be circled on his schedule. The Rebels picked up 647 yards of total offense, 379 passing and 268 rushing. The Alabama offense won the day with 723 total yards securing the win.
The Rebels have a killer schedule and lost a lot on offense. If Saban can embarrass Kiffin, expect it.
Week 6 Oct. 9 at Texas A&M – Kyle Field (College Station, TX)
Fielding his best team since going to Texas A&M (9-1), Jimbo Fisher was still outclassed by Saban dropping a 52-24 affair Week 2 in Bryant-Denny. The Aggies’ offense has also been gutted by NFL hopefuls. There are a few top talents returning for A&M to score the ball, but this line is as green as it gets.
The Aggies might get tested and/or exposed ahead of this one taking on Arkansas and Mississippi State in back-to-back games.
Week 7 Oct. 16 at Mississippi State – Davis Wade Stadium (Starkville, MS)
As embarrassed as Saban was seeing Kiffin’s Mississippi squad go point for point with his defense, Mike Leach got it going double the other way after his famed Air Raid offense was belittled in a 41-0 defeat a year ago against Alabama. A friendly reminder to those Bulldog fans who may expect an overnight turnaround, Leach produced winning seasons every year at Texas Tech but it took three years to get above that hovering .500 mark. At Washington State, it took four years to get Pullman out of the Pac-12 dumps.
The end of this two-game road trip weaves nicely into a four-game homestand.
Week 8 Oct. 23 vs. Tennessee at Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, AL)
Playing the SEC-only 10-game regular schedule, Alabama made a Week 5 visit to Neyland Stadium winning 48-17. There is new hope on the Volunteers’ sidelines hiring Central Florida offensive-minded head coach Josh Heupel. After a lengthy stint at Oklahoma as the Sooners’ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator (2006-14), Heupel has been working his way out from under the Stoops’ family spotlight. Heupel has SEC experience as OC of the Missouri Tigers (2016-17) before his three-year stint at UCF (28-8). What can he do Year 1 in Knoxville?
Tennessee’s roster was picked apart via the transfer portal. On one hand, those still on the roster want to play for Tennessee. On the other hand, all the four- and three-star talent former head coach Jeremy Pruitt signed is now spread out across the country.
Week 9 Oct. 30: Bye Week
Week 10 Nov. 6 vs. LSU at Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, AL)
The one-year rises here and there of Auburn and Texas A&M have yet to supplant the power struggle in the West between Alabama and LSU. Saban got sweet revenge in 2020 against LSU walking out of Tiger Stadium with a 55-17 victory. By all accounts, LSU looks to have corrected many of their problems on the sidelines keying on both sides of the ball. The Tigers will be one of the deepest veteran teams in all of college football. If all clicks, they could make another march to the College Football Playoff.
LSU kicked the eight-game losing streak to Bama in 2019. The Tigers have a big challenge ahead taking down Alabama on their home turf to avoid the start of another kind of streak.
Week 11 Nov. 13 vs. New Mexico State at Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, AL)
Alabama has their schedule down pat; a bye week ahead of LSU and an “easy” non-conference meeting afterwards to avoid any sort of letdown game. The Aggies had a full slate of 2020 games planned before the pandemic. Once everything got tossed around, they ended 1-1 losing to Tarleton State (43-17) and beating Dixie State (36-29).
Week 12 Nov. 20 vs. Arkansas at Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, AL)
The Hogs were opportunistic in 2020 looking better than their 3-7 record. As improved as the Razorbacks were, they were still not in the same realm as Alabama dropping a 52-3 meeting. The Crimson Tide have a 14-game winning streak going against Arkansas with the last six being double-digit wins. Get ready to tack on No. 15.
Week 13 Nov. 27 at Auburn – Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, AL)
The only person with any kind of success on the field against Nick Saban was Gus Malzahn, and now he is the head coach at UCF. The last five Iron Bowls have gone to the home team. With Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin taking over at Auburn, how the Tigers take to the new schemes will be one of the more interesting storylines in the SEC this season.
Auburn’s schedule from Week 3 to Week 7 will define Harsin’s initial SEC run. Preparing for the Iron Bowl, the Tigers see Mississippi State and take a road trip to South Carolina.
Photo credit: USA Today; Nick Saban 2020 SEC Championship