By: TJ Hartnett

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Nick Saban nearly capped off his first decade as head coach for Alabama with his fifth national championship, but fell short at the last second.

Now in his 11^th season, the Crimson Tide look to right that wrong and bring the title to where it they think it’s the most comfortable; Tuscaloosa.

It won’t surprise anyone when they make it back to the title game, and Saban’s expectations are of course no less than that.

With Saban’s customary strong defense along with a well-rounded offense, taking out the rest of the SEC and getting to the playoffs should already been penciled into their schedule.

Jalen Hurts returns to quarterback this year; the first returning QB for the Crimson Time since AJ McCarron in 2013. Hurts will look to build on his 23 touchdowns, 13 of which came from rush plays.

He’s a great runner backed up with Bo Scarbrough, Damien Hurts and Najee Harris in the backfield; a quartet that looks to mow down the opposition this year.

As if that wasn’t enough the Tide also return first team All-SEC wide receiver Calvin Ridley. They have a few notable pieces departing including O.J. Howard and Ardarius Stewart, but they’ll back fill those positions with some elite recruits and keep rolling full steam ahead.

Sophomore Trevon Diggs is a name to look out for. He averaged 10 yards per reception in 2016 but saw limited playing time behind Stewart. He’ll be asked to step into a full-time role this season and should quickly become a favorite target for Hurts. He’s big (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) and quick. That will make him a convenient red zone target for an accurate passer.

On the other side of the ball is defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. He’s the kind of player that quarterbacks facing him might be better off ruling out his side of the field altogether.

Fitzpatrick headlines a defense that will feature plenty of turnover, with players who served as role players in 2016 will be seen more frequently on the front seven in 2017.

That shouldn’t cause the always excellent Saban defense to miss a beat. After all, this is a defense that was the number one scoring D last year and also happened to have gone an entire month last season without surrendering a single touchdown.

The Crimson Tide allowed 63.9 rushing yards per game, which included games against SEC teams that thrive on running the football. They completely dismantled LSU and Florida last season. When teams try to open it up, they fair a little better, albeit not by much.

Alabama ranked No. 24 in the nation in passing defense last season. With Anthony Averett and Ronnie Harrison returning, the Tide will be tough to beat through the air once again.

The week one matchup between Alabama football and Florida State could very well be a prequel to a college football playoff game. Both teams are ranked in the preseason top five and each is the front-runner in their respective conference.

After a heavyweight fight against the Seminoles, Alabama has a slew of relatively easy games. They shouldn’t have trouble winning their next few games. Who can stop them? LSU and Auburn have traditionally given the Tide a test late in the season. Both teams will be competitive this season and have the pieces to hang with Alabama.

Auburn in particular looks designed to be a giant killer in 2017. They have the offense and defense to counter the Tide punch for punch.

Alabama is good, but they won’t survive the SEC unscathed again. They’ll lose one game along the way and drop the Iron Bowl rivalry game against Auburn. If that happens, they could find themselves just outside the College Football Playoff for the first time ever.

That would be a true surprise.