Alabama Football: 4 Reasons Tide Will Win National Title This Year

The Alabama Crimson Tide has gotten off to a hot start in the 2011 football season. With its 5-0 record, Alabama now sits second in both of the major polls.  

The expectations are always high at Alabama, but they are flying through the roof after impressive victories over Arkansas and Florida.

Alabama's National Title hopes seem to be as good as anyone's in the country, so let’s take a look at four reasons the Tide will win the national championship. 

Defense

No shocker here. The Tide defense is the main reason this team has enjoyed so much early season success.

Alabama ranks second in pass efficiency defense, first in rush defense, and first in points per game allowed.

Giving up only 8.4 ppg. and allowing a combined 24 to the two best statistical offenses in the SEC has made some question whether this could be the greatest defense in Alabama history.  

Offensive Line

If a young defense was the main reason Alabama under-achieved last season, the offensive line was second.

The 2008 and 2009 Alabama teams prided themselves on being the most physical in the country. Last year the o-line lost that physicality, partly due to injury.

Fans watched in horror as Alabama struggled to blow Georgia State off the line. Against Arkansas, Alabama broke a few long runs.

The running game truly came into form against Florida though. Alabama controlled the line of scrimmage for the entire game in a way it has not in over a year.

That kind of physical offensive line play won the Tide a national championship two years ago and very well could this season.

Schedule

Alabama survived the first rough stretch of its schedule with relative ease.

With Arkansas and Florida in the past, it seems like smooth sailing to the showdown with LSU.

Prior to the season, Mississippi State was seen as a dangerous trap game following the LSU game.

However, with the implosion of the Bulldogs, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Auburn on the road is always tough.

Don’t discount the motivating factor of revenge in that one.

If the Crimson Tide does make it to the SEC Championship game, they should expect an opponent far inferior to the top teams in the west.

All things considered, the road to New Orleans in very well paved.  

Someone in the SEC Has to Win It

One day the streak will come to an end.

The SEC will not win every national championship until the end of time. Until then, the SEC’s top contenders will try to make sure they don’t break the streak.

The SEC has essentially earned enough respect to lock its champion into the national championship game.

That means, most likely, whoever can win the Alabama, LSU game will get a shot. Both teams are capable of winning that game, but Alabama does have the home field advantage.

If Alabama wins that game, chances are good that it will play for its second BCS title in three years. Let's be honest. Who’s ready to bet against the SEC?