On Monday, the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA college football coaches poll came out, and the Alabama Crimson Tide appeared at the number three spot.
Nick Saban's Tide is entering the 2023 season with a lot of question marks on both sides of the ball, replacing two of the program's more decorated players in quarterback Bryce Young and pass rusher Will Anderson, Jr., as well as coordinators on both sides of the ball.
Rated above Alabama in the poll were returning back-to-back national champions No. 1 Georgia, which received 61 first-place votes, and No. 2 Michigan, which received zero first-place votes. Alabama picked up four first-place votes.
USA Today wrote the following about Alabama ahead of the upcoming season:
Alabama last opened at No. 3 in 2020. Things worked out pretty well for that Crimson Tide squad, but this year’s group has a lot more questions coming in. First and foremost is finding the successor to quarterback Bryce Young, who had a terrific follow-up to his Heisman season even in the Tide’s two road losses in 2022. Speedster Jalen Milroe, highly recruited prospect Ty Simpson and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner will all have opportunities to win the job in camp. Corner Kool-Aid McKinstry and safety Malachi Moore will anchor a secondary that will look to produce more takeaways.
No other teams from Alabama were in the top 25, but Troy picked up 25 votes to be in the top 25, and Auburn had 18 top 25 votes.
See the full rankings here.
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