2017 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

The 2017 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama during the 2017-2018 college football season. It was Alabama's 123rd season of college football, its 84th as a member of the Southeastern Conference, and its 11th under head coach Nick Saban.

The Tide entered the campaign as the top-ranked team in the Associated Press poll. The team's strength, as usual, was associated with its defense, led by interior linebackers Da'Ron Payne and Da'Shawn Hand, and assisted by strong safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The offense was expected to center around versatile and composed second-year starter Jalen Hurts at quarterback, working with junior wide receiver Calvin Ridley and sophomore running back Bo Scarborough.

Both the offense and defense showed signs of weakness over the course of the season, with younger players often stepping in to jump-start ineffective offensive drives or to fill in for an ever-growing list of injured linebackers on defense. Highly touted true freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa shined in limited action during the season. A 26-14 loss to Auburn in the 2017 Iron Bowl left the Tide out of the SEC championship game. Auburn's loss to Georgia and Wisconsin's loss to Ohio State in the Big 10 championship provided the opening for Alabama's invitation to the 4-team playoff. The Crimson Tide soundly defeated Clemson and then edged Georgia in overtime to claim a 17th national championship.

External links

• Media Guide (current edition) at rolltide.com