Top 10 college football teams of the decade
By Ethan Lee
No. 2: 2017 Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama won a national title again in 2017, but the Crimson Tide needed a miraculous comeback in the national championship game to be able to actually make this season a great one for when looking at the high standards that Alabama has.
After helping Alabama to a national title appearance as a freshman in 2016, quarterback Jalen Hurts played a key role in guiding the Crimson Tide back into the national conversation in 2017. But a loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl kept Alabama out of the SEC Championship in Atlanta.
The Crimson Tide had rolled through its foes all year, but Hurts and Alabama fell short against Auburn.
However, after Georgia knocked off Auburn in Atlanta, Alabama was able to make it into the College Football Playoffs. Hurts and Alabama avenged their loss to Clemson in the previous season’s national title game by beating the Tigers in the 2017 semifinals but found themselves struggling offensively against Georgia in the National Championship.
That’s when Tua Tagovailoa took the reins from Hurts.
Tagovailoa led the Crimson Tide to victory with a seemingly effortless performance as a freshman on college football’s biggest stage.
The young quarterback stunned Georgia, forced overtime, and then beat the Bulldogs. He tossed three touchdown passes, refused to let the moment be too big for him, and proved that he probably should have been the starting quarterback for the entire season.
Had Tagovailoa actually been the starting quarterback all year, it’s possible that this team never would have lost to Auburn in the Iron Bowl. It’s very likely that all of Alabama’s wins would have been by much wider margins as well.