College Football

2024 Alabama football predictions: Ranked No. 9 by RJ Young

Updated Aug. 12, 2024 10:21 a.m. ET

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

[Check out RJ Young's ultimate 134 college football rankings here]

Conference ranking: 5th in SEC (+750 to win conference)
Teams ahead of them: Michigan (8), LSU (7), Ole Miss (6), Florida State (5), Oregon (4)
Teams behind them: Missouri (10), Oklahoma (11), Utah (12), Tennessee (13), Penn State (14)

[Alabama 2024 schedule]

RJ's take: Kalen DeBoer did quite a job to stop the bleeding after Nick Saban announced his retirement from the sport and opened a 30-day period for Alabama players to enter the transfer portal at a time when the portal was closed for most of the sport. He's also one of the most successful active coaches in the sport, with an astounding 104-12 record as a head coach, including three NAIA national titles at Sioux Falls.

His most important players include quarterback Jalen Milroe, who fell 2 yards short of giving the Tide one more opportunity to feature in the national title game but succeeded in leading Alabama past Georgia in the SEC title game. Defensively, Malachi Moore is the best defender the new defensive coordinator Kane Wommack has at his disposal.

Along with Ohio State’s Smith, Tide wideout Ryan Williams and the first two-time Alabama Mr. Football figures to be appointment TV as one of the most decorated players in the country out of high school. And we’re gonna get to find out just how DeBoer's past success translates to the sport’s toughest league.

While the Tide lost talent to the portal with Saban’s retirement, DeBoer has brought in the best center in the country in Parker Brailsford, former Texas A&M defensive lineman LT Overton, Michigan safety Keon Sabb and the most underrated portal acquisition of the year in Graham Nicholson.

Leave it to Alabama to replace a 2023 Lou Groza Award finalist with the 2023 Lou Groza Award winner. Nicholson hit 27 of 28 field goal attempts in 2023, including 10 of 11 of 40 yards or more. He also kicked off 73 times last year and created touchbacks 52 times.

Alabama Total Win Odds: Over 9.5 (+120) Under 9.5 (-140)

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