BCS Rankings: Predicting Alabama's Rank in Next Season's First BCS Top 25

The Alabama Crimson Tide are coming off a 21-0 shellacking of the LSU Tigers in the BCS National Championship Game.

But, heading into the 2012 regular season, questions abound.

Will Trent Richardson leave for the NFL? Who will A.J. McCarron throw to? And what will the defense look like next year?

If Richardson leaves, Eddie Lacy will have to step up and carry the rushing load for the Tide. All indications are that he is a very solid back, but chances are slim that he's as good as Richardson.

Richardsons and Mark Ingrams don't grow on trees, so the Alabama running game will likely take a step back next season.

Elsewhere on offense, A.J. McCarron will be ready to take the next step as a quarterback, but he's losing Marquis Maze, his top receiver from 2011. He's also losing tight end Brad Smelley, his second-leading receiver.

So, the entire offense will have to be overhauled this offseason, leading to a likely drop-off in offensive production across the board.

Defensively, Courtney Upshaw and Mark Barron will be graduating and Dre Kirkpatrick and Dont'a Hightower will probably be leaving for the NFL.

That means the defense will be rebuilding as well in 2012.

If anyone can take this team and make the most of it, it's head coach Nick Saban. But, I like this team's chances at the 2014 BCS National Championship more than I like its chances at the 2013 title.

So where will the voters rank this team in next year's first BCS Top 25 poll?

Keep in mind, Alabama plays a tough schedule and the BCS computers historically have loved SEC teams.

With that being said, the first BCS Top 25 should have Alabama somewhere in the Top 10.

How highly they are ranked depends, of course, on whether they can go to Michigan and beat the Wolverines and also beat the Arkansas Razorbacks on the road.

They shouldn't have too much trouble defeating Michigan. Arkansas will be a much bigger test, but they are also beatable.

So, when the first BCS rankings come out sometime next October, Alabama could find themselves sitting pretty at 6-0, 5-1, 6-1 or even 7-0.

That would definitely be good enough for a Top 10 ranking, and, if undefeated, good enough for a Top Three ranking.