5 reasons Alabama will win the 2018 National Championship

3. Jalen Hurts will be even better

After putting together a Heisman-caliber regular season, true freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts struggled in the playoff. Sure, he played against two elite defenses in Washington and Clemson, but he looked overmatched in the title game and was essentially a non-factor in the semifinal.

In fact, Hurts passed for just 57 yards on 7-of-14 completions and ran for another 50 against the Huskies in the Peach Bowl, but his defense, and Bo Scarbrough, carried the team to the title game.

Against Clemson, he didn’t fare much better, completing only 13-of-31 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, which was assisted by a 68-yard score to a wide open O.J. Howard. He rushed for 57 yards and another touchdown.

During the regular season, he had 35 total touchdowns and about 3,500 yards, but he accounted for just two total scores and less than 300 yards in two playoff games. That was one of the reasons Alabama couldn’t finish the process, but now the young quarterback knows what it takes to get back and seal the deal.

If you think Hurts is going to keep regressing into a mediocre quarterback under Nick Saban, you will be sadly mistaken when he returns to Heisman form in 2017 with an even more impressive arm.

Hurts led Alabama to the national title game as a true freshman; just imagine how much better he’s going to be with that experience under his belt.