The Tide will get their revenge
By Thatcher Zalewski
This year’s college football season is on the horizon, and many teams in the NCAA are looking to make a run at the national championship. However, one team in particular should be the clear No. 1 favorite to hold up the trophy at the end of the year. That team is the Alabama Crimson Tide.
After falling short to the Georgia Bulldogs in the National Championship last year, the Crimson Tide are looking to regain what was once theirs in 2020.
Leading this year’s team, junior star quarterback Bryce Young is coming off an impressive sophomore year, where he threw for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. As he enters his third season with the Tide, there is a lot of hope that Young can lead the team to another national title.
Another critical factor for Alabama’s success this year will be its defense. A key player will be linebacker Will Anderson Jr., who enters his junior year after being named an All-American last season. Anderson put together an impressive season with 17.5 sacks and 101 tackles.
The other key contributor on the defensive side of the ball will be senior safety Jordan Battle. Battle put together his best season last year for the Tide, putting up career highs in interceptions (3) and tackles (86). He will look to improve on what was already an impressive season in 2021.
The last factor for Alabama is head coach Nick Saban. Considered the best coach in college football, Saban has a record of 178-25 with multiple national championships to back it up.
Ohio State will not be the best team in college football because Alabama has the overall better roster. There is an argument that quarterback CJ Stroud is better than Bryce Young. However, with a bit more experience under his belt, Young, who did throw for more touchdowns with more yards, looks to be the clear number one quarterback in the NCAA. Alabama’s defense on paper also looks superior to Ohio State.
It should be another year for Saban and the Tide as the best team in the NCAA.
THE Ohio State University is the team to beat this season
by Ethan Carbone
Coming into the college football season, the preseason No. 2 team Ohio State is ready to feast upon its competition. Looking into the Ohio State roster, it is safe to say they have the talent of a national championship caliber team.
This season, the Buckeyes have the Heisman Trophy favorite in junior quarterback CJ Stroud, who totaled 4,435 passing yards and 44 touchdowns this past season, and they also bring back perhaps the best trio of talent in the country.
With receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who returns with 1,606 receiving yards to his name, as well as sophomore running back Treyvon Henderson and his 1,248 yards on the ground, Ohio State is in a good spot. With those two alongside Stroud, anything is possible.
On the defensive side, Ohio State is set with returning hybrid safety Ronnie Hickman. The team’s tackle leader (100 in 2021) will look to have more of a ball-hawk role after providing his team with two interceptions last season.
They also return true sophomore corner Denzel Burke, who will look to improve on his already impressive career after starting 13 games as a freshman.
Alabama has a plethora of returning talent with the second leading Heisman favorite in Bryce Young, and the best defensive player in the country in Will Anderson, who returns with 17.5 sacks from last season. While these numbers are staggering, Alabama has one thing to their disadvantage: scheduling.
The Crimson Tide play No. 19 Arkansas in Fayetteville on Oct. 1 with the Razorbacks trying to get back into the spotlight for football, while No. 6 Texas A&M comes to town a week later and will look to beat Alabama in back-to-back games for the first time in history.
When it comes to the tough matchups, Ohio State has just one or two compared to Alabama’s four or five. OSU knows that it needs to avenge last year’s loss to Michigan, and while Alabama should handle Auburn easily, the Iron Bowl is always full of surprises.
