Alabama Football: How Crimson Tide Would Fare vs. 2012 AP All America Team

The 2012 AP All America Team has been released, and it is time to match it up against the Alabama Crimson Tide. I recently did this when the Big Ten team was revealed and had Alabama winning the matchup pretty convincingly.

However, there are a few things different about the AP team and the Big Ten squad. This team isn't limited to just one team or conference; it includes the best players in the country at every position.

With Alabama in the national championship for the second straight season, many believe it is the most talented football team in college football. 

But are Nick Saban and his players really good enough to beat the ultimate group of players?

Let's take a look at the teams and see how things would turn out.

Alabama Starting Lineup

Offense

LT—Cyrus Kouandijo

LG—Chance Warmack

C—Barrett Jones

RG—Anthony Steen

RT—D.J. Fluker

TE—Michael Williams

QB—A.J. McCarron

RB—Eddie Lacy

WR—Amari Cooper

WR—Kevin Norwood

WR—Christion Jones

 

Defense

DE—Ed Stinson

NG—Jesse Williams

DE—Damion Square

LB—Adrian Hubbard

LB—Trey Depriest

LB—Nico Johnson

LB—Xzavier Dickson

CB—Dee Milliner

CB—Deion Belue

SS—Robert Lester

FS—Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix

AP Starting Lineup (1st Team)

To view more of the complete AP team, click here.

Offense

OT—Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M

OG—Chance Warmack, Alabama (Could be replaced with second team member Spencer Long of Nebraska)

C—Barrett Jones, Alabama (Could be replaced with second team member Dalton Freeman of Clemson)

OG—Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina

OT—Taylor Lewan, Michigan

TE—Zach Ertz, Stanford

QB—Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M

RB—Montee Ball, Wisconsin

WR—Marqise Lee, USC

WR—Terrance Williams, Baylor

All-Purpose Player—Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia

Defense

DE—Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina

DT—Star Lotulelei, Utah

DT—Will Sutton, Arizona State

DE—Bjoern Werner, Florida State

LB—Manti Te'o, Notre Dame

LB—Jarvis Jones, Georgia

LB—C.J. Mosley, Alabama (Could be replaced with second team member Kevin Minter of LSU)

CB—Dee Milliner, Alabama (Could be replaced with second team member Johnthan Banks of Mississippi State)

CB—Jordan Poyer, Oregon State

S—Phillip Thomas, Fresno State

S—Matt Elam, Florida

AP Offense vs. Alabama Defense

There is no way I am picking the Alabama defense against this offense. Even if you consider yourself the biggest Crimson Tide fan in the world, you would be wise to pick against the defensive unit as well.

First, the AP offense is led by quarterback Johnny Manziel. You know, the redshirt freshman quarterback that went into Bryant-Denny Stadium and left with a victory. I don't care if Kirby Smart and Nick Saban have had time to prepare for him and will likely develop a game plan to slow him down, he now has even more weapons around him. 

Finding a way to bottle up Manziel is one thing, but finding enough quality defensive backs to cover Marqise Lee, Terrance Williams and Tavon Austin is another. All three of those receivers have a future at the next level, and Lee is somebody that no defensive coordinator has figured out how to defend yet.

I know Dee Milliner is a terrific cornerback, but he is one guy and not capable of defending all that athleticism and talent on the outside by himself.

Being able to hand the ball off to Montee Ball isn't too shabby either considering he has well over 3,000 rushing yards in the last two years combined. Even if the team had to replace two Alabama offensive linemen in Barrett Jones and Chance Warmack, Ball would still be running behind an offensive line that includes many future first-round picks.

We all know this Alabama defense is ranked first in the country, but this isn't to be compared to last year’s unit, which is considered one of the best ever. The secondary is shaky at times, as it has given up 31 plays of over 20 yards, which is six more than last year. The defense was also broken down by Manziel for 345 yards in the loss earlier to the Aggies.

The Alabama defense is good, but it isn't good enough to defend all of the playmakers on the AP offense. The receivers will expose the secondary, and the running game will also have success running behind Luke Joeckel and Spencer Long.

Advantage: AP Team

Alabama Offense vs. AP Defense

Again, how in the world do you pick against a side that is made up of the best players in all of college football?

I just can't do it.

The secondary is just unfair and would shut down the Alabama receivers. The Crimson Tide lack a Julio Jones-type player that can take over for the offense, and facing this defensive backfield wouldn't be pretty for quarterback A.J. McCarron.

Matt Elam is somebody that made plays all over the field for the Florida Gators and would be a player taken in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. The AP would then replace Milliner with Johnthan Banks. If you add Jordan Poyer to the Mississippi State star corner, you get 29 interceptions combined between the two players. Simply put, the secondary is full of ball-hawks and will make these Alabama receivers want to go home by the second quarter.

But throwing the ball hasn't been the strength of this Alabama offense. What about running the football?

Well, if you think you can run the ball down this defense's throat, be my guest. The defensive line isn't like an SEC line where you have one freakish player and the rest are guys that will soon blossom into studs.

With players such as Jadeveon Clowney, Star Lotulelei and Bjoern Werner, this is a line that is made up of players already established and capable of playing at the next level right now.

The sad part is that we haven't even gotten to the linebacker position that includes Jarvis Jones and Manti Te'o on the field at the same time. We have already predicted what would have happened if they both went to USC, and it resulted in arguably the best linebacker combination of all-time. Having Jones come through the gap and Te'o drop in coverage should be illegal to even think about.

We have seen Alabama simply abuse the opposing defenses and wear it down over time; I just don't see that happening against this made up defense. It includes too many guys that are capable of holding their own, and it would be too much for this Alabama team to overcome.

Advantage: AP Team

Who Wins the Game?

I was able to pick Alabama to beat the Big Ten team because it was too slow and one-dimensional on the offensive side of the ball. However, the overall talent when you combine the best players from every conference is unbearable.

It is nearly impossible to imagine Alabama winning this matchup.

The Crimson Tide are arguably the best team in college football, but this isn't going to be compared to a team such as the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers, 2001 Miami Hurricanes or 1972 USC Trojans. This isn't one of the best teams Alabama has had in the program’s history, and the youth on the defensive side of the ball would get exposed.

Even if Nick Saban had a month to prepare for this game as if it were a bowl matchup, it is hard imagining him making up for all of the talent on the AP roster. Alabama is a great unit together, but we are talking about a college team that is made up of the best players at each and every position.

Saban would give his team a shot because that is what great coaches do, but the overall talent gap is too wide to overcome for all four quarters.

Prediction: AP Team wins, 38-21.