| 2023 Alabama Crimson Tide football | |
|---|---|
 | |
SEC champion SEC Western Division champion | |
SEC Championship Game, W 27–24 vs. Georgia | |
Rose Bowl (CFP Semifinal), L 20–27 OT vs. Michigan | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| West Division | |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 5 |
| AP | No. 5 |
| Record | 12–2 (8–0 SEC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Tommy Rees (1st season) |
| Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
| Defensive coordinator | Kevin Steele (5th overall season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| Home stadium | Bryant–Denny Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Georgia xy | 8 | – | 0 | 13 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Missouri | 6 | – | 2 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Tennessee | 4 | – | 4 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 3 | – | 5 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 0 | – | 8 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 Alabama xy$^ | 8 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Ole Miss | 6 | – | 2 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 LSU | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 1 | – | 7 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 1 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Alabama 27, Georgia 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2023 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "Bama", or "The Tide") represented the University of Alabama in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season marked the Crimson Tide's 129th overall season, 90th as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and 32nd and final season within the SEC Western Division, with Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC on July 1, 2024. They played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and were led by Nick Saban in his 17th and final season as head coach.[1]
Looking to build on the successes of the 2022 campaign, Alabama entered the 2023 season after winning the Sugar Bowl over Kansas State, and were the favorite to win the Western Division and meet the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2023 SEC Championship Game. They were No. 4 in the pre-season polls, but a loss to Texas and a narrow win against South Florida dropped them to No. 13 in the rankings. Alabama would recover and close out the regular season by winning its next 9 games, alongside a narrow win against Auburn in the Iron Bowl, to finish with an 11–1 record (8–0 in SEC play) and meet the Bulldogs for the SEC Championship in a rematch of the 2021 contest. Alabama was victorious by a final score of 27–24 to capture their 11th SEC championship title, ending Georgia's 29-game winning streak that started after a 2021 loss, also to Alabama. The following day, final College Football Playoff (CFP) standings were unveiled. Alabama, alongside the Big 12 Conference champions Texas, were selected ahead of Florida State for the College Football Playoff.[2] No. 4 Alabama was defeated by the eventual national champion, No. 1 Michigan, in the 2024 Rose Bowl in overtime, 27–20.
This season marked the first time since 2007 that Alabama was not ranked #1 in any week in the AP Poll following the release of the final season rankings on January 9, 2024.[3] The following day, on January 10, Nick Saban announced that he would be retiring as the Crimson Tide's head coach.[4]
- ^ Patterson, Chip (January 10, 2024). "Nick Saban retires: Seven-time national championship-winning coach, 72, exits Alabama after 17 seasons". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ "'Unfathomable': Undefeated FSU left out of CFP". ESPN.com. December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ "AP Season Appearance Streaks: Any at #1 / All-time". College Poll Archive. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ "Coach Nick Saban, who won 6 titles at Alabama, retiring". ESPN. January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search