Alabama Crimson Tide 2019 College Football Schedule Breakdown
Since Nick Saban put Alabama firmly back on college football’s blueblood-elite list during the 2009 season capturing the first of five national championships with the Crimson Tide (2011, ’12, ’15, and ’17), the rest of college football has been waiting for the fall of the dynasty. Many have tried to wrestle the top spot away from Alabama within the SEC and on a national scale, but few have been able to keep up the high level of play year after year to overtake the beast that is the Crimson Tide. May the winds of change be in the air in 2019?
Saban enters his 12th season in Tuscaloosa looking for his seventh overall national title and eighth total within the SEC, sixth with the Tide. Bama made a clean run through the 2018 regular season with a new look offense that was one of the best in the nation. But in the national championship game rematch against the Clemson Tigers, the Tide’s high-powered offense was held to 16 points despite netting 443 yards of offense while the defense gave way to 482 yards allowing 30 points from the 14:18 mark in the second quarter.
Can Alabama run through the SEC West again in 2019 on their way back to a fourth consecutive College Football Playoff National Championship Game? Or, is the regular season schedule set with traps that could derail Bama?
Alabama Crimson Tide 2019 Football Schedule Breakdown
Bye Weeks: Week 6 and Week 10
Week 1 – Aug. 31 vs. Duke Blue Devils at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
College football fans may scoff at seeing Duke on Alabama’s schedule, but what is the Tide to do? In recent seasons they have rotated the likes of other ACC competitors Florida State and Louisville before beginning the 2016 season against USC in Arlington (TX). The Blue Devils are not at Bama’s level, but who is other than Clemson, and they will more than likely play the Tigers again in the CFB Playoff. Duke heads into this one building upon a solid 8-5 (3-5 ACC) 2018 season.
The Blue Devils were a middle of the road offensive and defensive team in 2018 but could be improved this season with five starters back on offense and nine on defense. The loss of quarterback Daniel Jones to the NFL will hurt, but senior quarterback Quentin Harris performed well in spring practices which should make for a better challenge in the 2019 neutral site opener.
Week 2 – Sept. 7 vs. New Mexico State at Bryant-Denny Stadium
The Aggies are in a tough situation as one of the handful or so Division-I college football teams kicking around as an independent. New Mexico State posted a 3-9 record in 2018 with wins over UTEP, Liberty – but then lost to Liberty in the regular season finale on the road, and Alcorn State.
The Aggies have returning talent back, but not on the level to contend with Alabama for four quarters, or three quarters. New Mexico State opens the season with a road game to Washington State. This squad may enter Bama’s jaws already worn out.
Week 3 – Sept. 14 at South Carolina (Williams-Brice Stadium)
If it seems like forever since these two teams have played one another, because it has been. The last time the two teams met Saban was entering his second season in Tuscaloosa and Steve Spurrier was still on the sidelines in Columbia. The last showdown was a thriller and an upset for the Gamecocks beating then- No. 1 Alabama 35-21. May history repeat itself?
USC will be a good challenge for the Tide early in the season with seven starters back on offense which includes senior quarterback Jake Bentley. The defense for USC has holes at all three levels, especially in the secondary. This will be a tough matchup for the Gamecocks going against the arm of Tua Tagovailoa and the likes of receiver Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, and DeVonta Smith.
Week 4 – Sept. 21 vs. Southern Miss at Bryant-Denny Stadium
While no national media members will be calling for an upset in this one, this meeting could at least hold some interest for the first half depending on Southern Mississippi’s growth on offense. The Golden Eagles were a young team in 2018 on offense but have seven back and an experienced offensive line. The defense was third in the nation in total defense allowing just 278 yards per game. Could this game hang close early giving Coach Saban a good reason to get his player’s attention before entering the heart of SEC action?
Alabama fans will laugh while remembering this, but Auburn did struggle to put away Southern Miss last season eventually winning 24-13. With Ole Miss heading to Tuscaloosa the following week, Alabama could sleep through this one raising questions about how good the overall team is this year.
Week 5 – Sept. 28 vs. Ole Miss at Bryant-Denny Stadium
While the Rebels had one of the most prolific offenses in the nation last season scoring the ball at a 34 point per game clip ending with the ninth best overall attack in the country, Alabama was having none of that in 2018. Ole Miss got on the board first off of a 75-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Ta’amu to D.K. Metcalf, but it was the Tide rolling to a 62-7 win.
The Rebels offense was decimated by graduation and early NFL Draft entries. In 2018, there were eight returning starters trying to score the ball now there are only three. The Land Shark defense has been a shell of its former self but that could change some this season with eight starters back and a new coordinator in former Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre. This is only possible if the offense can eat up some clock keeping the sharks fresh in the water.
Week 7 – Oct. 12 at Texas A&M (Kyle Field)
The Aggies had a big season in Year 1 under head coach Jimbo Fisher, but the former Florida State boss was no match for Saban and company. A&M scored late in what was a runaway game in Bryant-Denny closing the final margin to 45-23. Bama compiled 524 yards to A&M’s 393.
The Aggies lost key players in tight end Jace Sternberger and running back Trayveon Williams to the NFL, but this offense could be a Top 10 national squad with all the talent returning coupled with the influx of true freshmen. The trouble will be handling all the losses on defense due to graduation. A&M may be too green with only four starters back to keep Alabama out of the end zone this season.
Week 8 – Oct. 19 vs. Tennessee at Bryant-Denny Stadium
Given the turmoil under former head coach Butch Jones, Jeremy Pruitt’s first season in Knoxville should be gauged a successful one, even if the team failed to reach a bowl game. A year ago, the schedule was not easy but the squad found a way to beat two ranked teams, No. 21 Auburn (30-24) and No. 12 Kentucky (24-7), enroute to a 5-7 (2-6 SEC) season. The schedule in 2019 is softer trading West Virginia for BYU and Auburn for Mississippi State, but…
The intrigue in this game lies in Pruitt, a former assistant for Saban, going against his old boss. Even though the schedule might be easier, at this point the Volunteers will have already played Florida and Georgia and get South Carolina after the Tide. They may be looking to hang on until November for an easier slate of games that may be more competitive.
Week 9 – Oct. 26 vs. Arkansas at Bryant-Denny Stadium
The Hogs were in a state of disarray in 2018 stumbling from a 4-8 team to a 2-10 squad going winless in the SEC. Arkansas committed too many penalties, played sloppy on special teams, and threw too many pick-sixes to be a competitive SEC caliber squad. Can that performance and attention to detail be changed in one offseason?
If there is a silver-lining for Arkansas, the Hogs scored the most points on the Tide during the regular season. Granted the Razorbacks may not have had their full attention, but if there is something Arkansas can draw off of before going into the lion’s den this would be it. The Hogs could benefit from not receiving Bama’s full attention yet again with a bye coming up before LSU comes to town.
Week 11 – Nov. 9 vs. LSU at Bryant-Denny Stadium
Seeing LSU on the schedule has to make Coach Saban smile after eight consecutive wins over their rival, but this year may make him nervous. The Tide took Baton Rouge last season winning 29-0 with a systematic approach. As big as a 29-point margin of victory is in college football, it could have been worse. LSU only picked up 12 yards on the ground, 196 total. But as Buffalo Springfield once said, “there is something happening here.”
LSU finished the 2018 schedule 10-3 (5-3) with an AP No. 6 ranking. The Tigers lost All-Americans Devin White (LB) and Greedy Williams (CB) to the NFL but return a load of talent on both sides of the ball. The defense had injuries issues last season getting extra snaps to underclassmen. Now, LSU returns eight on defense with experience across the board. The offense has seven back and gets an infusion in the backfield with five-star running back John Emery Jr. Can Alabama keep their mental edge over an LSU team that might be as talented?
Week 12 – Nov. 16 at Mississippi State (Davis Wade Stadium)
After what should be a very physical and mentally draining game against LSU, Alabama faces perhaps its toughest two-game stretch of the season heading to Starkville to face Mississippi State. The Bulldogs fielded the nation’s best overall defense in 2018, but the focal point of their defense is now testing their skill in the NFL. The offense will continue to evolve under second-year head coach Joe Moorhead and will face challenges with an inexperienced quarterback in junior Keytaon Thompson.
This has to be one of those games where Alabama comes out of the gate hot to change the momentum of the game early, especially if there is a hangover one way or the other from the LSU game. MSU might be on empty when Bama comes to town. The SEC lineup before hosting Bama includes Kentucky, at Auburn, at Tennessee, LSU, at Texas A&M, and at Arkansas. If there is some gas left in the tank, the Bulldogs will not be caught looking past the Tide for Abilene Christian.
Week 13 – Nov. 23 vs. Western Carolina
If there are true freshmen who still have a game left in the bag before going over the limit on a redshirt season, expect to see them against the Catamounts. Western Carolina was a subpar FCS team in 2018 posting a 3-8 record, 1-7 in the Southern Conference.
The rest ‘em up game before heading off to The Plains.
Week 14 – Nov. 30 at Auburn (Jordan-Hare Stadium)
One of the few SEC coaches who has had success against Coach Saban is Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn. With Alabama’s success, the proverbial hot seat is at scorching level for Malzahn entering the 2019 season with Auburn fans insisting on the same level of prosperity seen some three hours down the road. Malzahn’s 2-4 record against Alabama at Auburn needs to be 3-4 at season’s end, or at least a highly competitive contest, or the War Eagles may be looking for a new head coach the next day when November turns to December and the regular season is completed.
Auburn has the talent on offense, especially along the offensive line, to challenge Alabama. The key is what kind of play will they get out of the pocket breaking in a new starter, who has yet to be named? The defense returns seven, but there are questions in the linebacking unit. Has Bama lost enough talent and has Auburn gained enough experience to close the gap on the 52-21 outcome in 2018?
Photo credit: rolltide.com; QB Tua Tagovailoa vs. Auburn