Ranking Alabama football’s 2023 games from easiest to hardest
The Alabama Crimson Tide will look much different this fall after the departure of both coordinators and significant roster changes. Guys like Bryce Young, Jahmyr Gibbs and Will Anderson Jr. departed for the NFL draft, while Bill O’Brien join the New England Patriots as the offensive coordinator and Pete Golding becomes the defensive coordinator role with Ole Miss.
Replacing a generational talent like Bryce Young will be no easy task, but Saban believes his quarterback room is special between Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson. Alabama retained Jermaine Burton and the arrival of Malik Benson should intrigue people about the receiving corps.
Despite losing the coordinators, some would consider their replacements to be upgrades. Kevin Steele has coached in the SEC and has seen success while Tommy Rees of Notre Dame was a trending name this offseason.
Only two losses and a Sugar Bowl victory won’t be enough for Coach Saban, he’d like to be in national title contention again. Before focusing on the College Football Playoff, Alabama must worry about its regular season schedule first. Here are the Tide’s 12 opponents ranked in order of difficulty.
Nov. 18 vs. Chattanooga
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The Mocs will be the Tide’s only FCS opponent in 2023. Alabama and Chattanooga have met 13 times in the past with the Tide taking all 13. The two sides met as recently as 2016 when Alabama won 31-3.
Sep. 2 vs. Middle Tennessee
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Middle Tennessee will likely fare better than Chattanooga, but don’t expect it to be much better. The Crimson Tide are 2-0 all-time against the Raiders with the most recent victory being 37-10 in 2015.
Sep. 16 at USF
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USF was one of the worst-performing teams in the country, going 1-11 in 2022, but will be starting fresh with new head coach Alex Golesh this season. Golesh served as the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Volunteers the past two years. Tampa isn’t the hardest place in the world to recruit so I could see USF having a better year in 2023.
Nov 11. at Kentucky
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The Wildcats have been competitors in the SEC East for the past few years, but I think 2023 will be a rebuilding year in Lexington. Quarterback Will Levis is set to be a first-round pick and running back Chris Rodriguez also left for the draft. Kentucky has some major holes to patch before the Tide will need to worry.
Sep. 30 at Mississippi State
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This season will likely be a tough one for the Bulldogs after the unfortunate and untimely passing of head coach Mike Leach. Leach was dearly loved, and replacing someone like him will be no easy task. Starkville isn’t as talented as in years past, but they seem to always give the Tide some hiccups.
Oct. 14 vs. Arkansas
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Sam Pittman has built up the Razorbacks well with a good run game and has a very solid quarterback in K.J. Jefferson. Having to face the Tide in Tuscaloosa just makes this an unfavorable matchup for Arkansas.
Oct. 7 at Texas A&M
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As long as Jimbo Fisher is the head coach at Texas A&M, they will be a problem, but not much of one this year. The Aggies were incredibly disappointing last year and were gouged by the transfer portal this offseason. However, College Station is a tough road environment and Alabama has been upset here as recently as 2021.
Oct 21. vs Tennessee
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Tennessee certainly won’t be an easy win, but Alabama will be motivated for this game. The loss in 2022 was personal and Nick Saban will want to enact some revenge on the state of Tennessee. Fortunately fro Alabama, Hendon Hooker departs for the NFL and the Vols will lose some of that magic.
Sep. 23 vs. Ole Miss
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The Rebels have become increasingly dangerous by the year under head coach Lane Kiffin. Quinshon Judkins has broken out as a star back for the Rebels. Kiffin also poached Golding from the Tide staff to sure up his defense a bit.
Sep. 9 vs. Texas
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The showdown in 2022 was as crazy as anyone could have anticipated, but the Tide walked away victorious. Alabama loses Bryce Young, but the Longhorns return Quinn Ewers. Can former offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian get the marquee upset of his career?
Nov. 25 at Auburn
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Auburn may not have the most talented roster on Alabama’s schedule, but it’s just such a hard place to play. With Alabama playing with a first-year quarterback, you can already guarantee this game could be a close one that comes down to whoever makes the final play. Ashford showed some promise at the quarterback position for the Tigers and with an offseason of growth, he could be a massive problem.
Nov. 4 vs. LSU
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Jayden Daniels returns at quarterback for the LSU Tigers after upsetting Alabama in 2022. Brian Kelly has shown he can beat Nick Saban, and with the more experienced roster in 2023, it will be even more difficult for Nick Saban and the Tide. Fortunately, this showdown takes place in Tuscaloosa.
