There's already an air of inevitability about Alabama, which has room to improve

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — When the confetti fell in Arizona this past January, the indelible image of Alabama’s latest championship was the smirk on Nick Saban’s face. The onside kick Alabama had executed against Clemson, as big a gamble as Saban had ever made in a game so important, had delivered a moment that would soon give way to as big a celebration as he had ever allowed after hoisting a trophy.

As imperfect as Alabama’s 45-40 victory was, there was genuine joy that night for Saban. He knew that Alabama had snuck away with a title that could have gone either way, and for once he could smile and dance and not concern himself with how Alabama’s margin for error had been reduced to a desperate onside kick.

But soon after Alabama returned to Tuscaloosa, Saban’s demeanor changed entirely. As he gathered his coaches for their first meeting of the offseason, the message was sent. According to multiple people with knowledge of the gathering, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the discussion, Saban’s edict was clear: What they had just watched on film against Clemson simply wasn’t good enough.

As No. 1 Alabama now sits at 8-0 following another routine victory over a top-10 opponent — this time 33-14 against No. 6 Texas A&M — Saban’s steadfast refusal to allow complacency has driven the Crimson Tide to even another level.

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We can debate for the next two weeks whether this is Saban’s best team at Alabama or simply his best defense, we can talk about whether the SEC is down or the Crimson Tide are just that much better than the rest. But what cannot be argued is that after three seasons of Alabama’s dynasty routinely staring at its mortality, an air of inevitability has once again settled over this program.

If and when Alabama loses, it will be because of something unforeseen and, to this point, unimaginable. Because even when Alabama plays poorly or misses opportunities, its margins right now are so big that they’re only one play away completely demoralizing their opponents.

“There are many many things we need to improve on as a team,” Saban said.

And the scary part is, he’s not exaggerating.

When you watched Alabama in 2015, or even 2014 when it lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals, there was a distinct sense that Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin were squeezing everything he could out of teams with clear flaws.

When you watch this version, it’s obvious the Crimson Tide could — and probably will — get a whole lot better.

“We can’t be relieved that we won this game because there’s a big difference in resting, relaxing and working to improve and being relieved,” Saban said. “We have lots of good teams coming up and that can have a tremendous impact on what kind of season we have, so we have to continue to be able to persevere as a team.”

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It’s not just the insane margins Alabama has compiled this season — 19 vs. Texas A&M, 39 at Tennessee, 19 at Arkansas, 46 vs. Southern California — but that the formula is consistently frightening.

Alabama’s defensive front is going to come in waves, wreak havoc and put opposing offenses in obvious passing situations. Its offense is going to make some things happen but struggle to hit big plays because quarterback Jalen Hurts isn’t a polished passer and at times is prone to freshman mistakes (he threw two interceptions against Texas A&M and completed just 15 passes for 164 yards).

And yet, even when Alabama fell behind 14-13 early in the third quarter, it was only a matter of time before the amount of pressure created by its defense broke the game open. When Ryan Anderson stripped the ball from Texas A&M running back Keith Ford, it didn’t merely create a touchdown for defensive end Jonathan Allen.

It effectively ended the game, something Alabama — which has scored a non-offensive touchdown in 10 consecutive going back to last year’s playoff semifinals — would know all about.

“It really is demoralizing (for the other team) because when you see a score on defense it’s a blow to them and helps us a whole lot,” defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick said. “I definitely feel it. After Jon’s touchdown, everybody was more upbeat, more focused and ready to play. We’re always trying to fly to the ball and make plays, and at practice we compete (to do it). That’s one of our strong points.”

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The streak isn’t merely some statistical anomaly. It’s an affirmation that even if Alabama misses field goals or drops a pass in the red zone and seemingly lets a team hang around, the Crimson Tide are just a play away from running away from their opponents.

Even Texas A&M, a previously unbeaten top-10 team with five-star recruits all over the field, could only hang in the game by its fingernails for 2½ quarters.

For Alabama, that qualified as a disappointment.

“We gave up (114) yards rushing,” Allen said. “If we’re the best defense (in Alabama history), we can’t allow that to happen. There’s a lot of room for us to improve. We gave up a lot of plays. That’s something we have to correct. For us, 100 yards (rushing) is way too much. We don’t give up 100 yards at Alabama. We’re quite pissed off about it, to be honest.”

Ticked off going into a bye week, and headlong into trickier games against LSU and Auburn, is a frightening thought for Alabama’s opponents.

Now more than halfway through its attempt at back-to-back titles, it’s clear complacency isn’t going to be what takes down Alabama. At this point, opponents will have to try something else.

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