Jumbo Package: Nick Saban watches 2022 CFB season end with a mockery of a title game

Happy Tuesday, everyone. Last night was the mockery of a national title game that one should expect when putting a team of overachieving try hards into the playoff. In hindsight, if the committee was going to do the politically expedient thing and put a one-loss team in the playoff that “deserved” to be there on one-loss record but not based on most any advanced metric out there, why were they seeded third?

Nothing about that team says that they are “better” than Ohio State. This silly matchup could have been the early semifinal on New Year’s Eve and, assuming Michigan crapped the bed the same way as they likely would have, we could have had that great Ohio State vs Georgia matchup in the final.

No matter, congrats to Georgia on the back to back titles. In case you missd it, there was a hilarious moment at halftime when Nick Saban looked ready to take David Pollack outside.

Something tells me that this clip will be played a time or two.

Alabama now gets to go into next season as an underdog in the conference for the first time in a while. The Tide finished 5th in the AP top 25 which is rather absurd, and ESPN has the TIde ranked 5th in their way-too-early projections.

It might seem like Alabama has reached a crossroads, but we have to remember how many times we’ve been here before. Yes, the Crimson Tide were uncharacteristically sloppy and undisciplined in 2022. They finished next-to-last in the SEC in penalties and 10th in turnover margin. That was a big reason Alabama lost twice — each on the last play of road games. Replacing Bryce Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, won’t be easy. Freshman Jalen Milroe struggled with ball security in limited time this past season; Ty Simpson was the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the 2022 ESPN 300. Alabama has to figure out a way to get better on the offensive line and at receiver. Benson, a junior college transfer, and Dippre, who caught 30 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns at Maryland in 2022, might provide immediate help. Will Bill O’Brien be back to call plays on offense? Anderson and To’o To’o won’t be easily replaced on defense.

USA Today has the Tide third, but still second in the SEC. All of the rat poison this offseason will head to Athens.

Georgia will chase a third consecutive national championship in 2023 as the favorite in the USA TODAY Sports way-too-early Top 25 for next season, ahead of the familiar run of teams that have come to dominate the Bowl Subdivision.

The Bulldogs are followed by No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 Penn State. After an impressive win against Utah in the Rose Bowl and with quarterback Drew Allar set to take over, the Nittany Lions are the pick for second place in the Big Ten ahead of No. 6 Ohio State.

Quarterback will obviously be the key. If Simpson is ready to live up to his vast potential, then next year could be a special one. It’s still tough for me to see Jalen Milroe making the necessary leap as a passer, but he will certainly have his chance. Replacing Anderson is less of a worry with Jeremiah Alexander, Keon Keeley and Qua Russaw in the fold alongside Dallas Turner.

Al.com has a compilation of former Tide player reactions to last night’s blowout, and it’s about what you would expect. In hindsight, it’s comical the way that the talking heads were so united in the whole “there is no controversy” bit on Selection Sunday morning.

Not much else going on out there today. The hoops team has a huge tilt at Arkansas tomorrow night, and Nick Kelly expects a battle.

KenPom tracks adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, which are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. Alabama has a sizable advantage on Arkansas on offense, but the Razorbacks are just ahead of the Crimson Tide defensively.

“They’re an elite defensive team,” Oats said. “Our offense is going to need to be good again.”

Similar to most matchups, Alabama also has the tempo lead over Arkansas. The Crimson Tide is going to try to play much faster than the Razorbacks will. That speed from Alabama can often be a problem for teams, especially if the Crimson Tide doesn’t turn the ball over.

We will of course have full coverage tomorrow.

That’s about it for now. Have a great day.

Roll Tide.