CJ Mosley Injury: 5 Reasons the Tide's Defense Will Struggle with or Without Him

Not only was I sad that the BCS National Championship Game turned out to be almost as bad and as lifeless as the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship between Butler and UConn, I was also sad last night because I had to see one of my favorite young players in the country, Alabama LB C.J. Mosley, carted off the field after making a critical interception.

Mosley is a budding star who's going to have the chance to step out and shine in 2012, but we'll first have to see how serious his injury is. 

Today, Alabama coach Nick Saban said that Mosley suffered a dislocated hip, and that they still need to do further tests to evaluate the injury.

It's likely that Mosley should be ready to go for the start of the 2012 season, but whether he plays or not, here's a look at why Alabama's defense is still going to struggle next season. 

The Letdown Factor

When a defense manages to put together one of the most dominating seasons in college football history, a letdown is surely to be expected the following season. 

Nick Saban isn't the type of coach who will let complacency seep into his program, but you would have to imagine that the Tide defense will lose a little of its hunger after conquering the ultimate goal of winning a national championship this season. 

Still, when you consider that Alabama had to rebuild almost its entire defense after its national championship season in 2009 and still managed to finish in the Top Five in both scoring defense and total defense the following season, it's hard to expect a big drop-off. 

The Defections

We know veteran seniors like DT Josh Chapman, LB Courtney Upshaw, LB Jerrell Harris, CB DeQuan Menzie and S Mark Barron have all played their last game in an Alabama uniform, but it remains to be seen how many of their underclassmen buddies will join them in the 2012 NFL draft.

LB Dont'a Hightower, LB Nico Johnson, CB Dre Kirkpatrick and S Robert Lester will all have decisions to make about leaving early, and if a few of them decide to check out, they're going to leave some gaping holes in Alabama's defense for 2012. 

There's a chance that Alabama could lose its top six tacklers from this past season. 

The Youth Movement

With so many starters likely making the move to the NFL, Nick Saban is going to have some serious holes to fill, but luckily, he's recruited some top-notch defensive talent to Tuscaloosa over the past few years, so he's got some reinforcements waiting. 

CB Dee Milliner, LB Trey Depriest, S Vinnie Sunseri, S Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix and LB Adrian Hubbard are all capable young players, and all will be expected to step up and become key factors on the defense next year. 

But the key word there is young.

With youth come mistakes, and there will certainly be a few growing pains for the Alabama defense next season. 

Kirby Smart: Staying or Going?

With most of the premier head coaching jobs filled up already, it looks as if Kirby Smart will be staying in Tuscaloosa for another year. 

But he'll once again be one of the top head coaching candidates going into the 2012 season, and you have to wonder if his mind will be 100 percent on Alabama throughout the season, especially if a few high-profile jobs start to open up late in the year. 

Smart has done a great job of keeping his focus on his football team throughout his time at Alabama, but he might start seriously thinking about his coaching future in 2012 and that could be a bit of a distraction. 

The Level of Offenses That They’ll See

Alabama will get tested by some truly dangerous offenses next season, including Michigan, Arkansas, Missouri, LSU (yes, they’ll be better off without Jordan Jefferson), Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Auburn.

The Tide defense will get tested right away in Round 1, when they take on the Wolverines in the season-opener at Cowboys Stadium, and it won’t ease up after that.

Alabama’s defense is going to have to gel in a hurry, because that trip to Arkansas on Sept. 15 will definitely be a challenge.