The Extra Point: Who are Alabama Football's Top Contenders in the SEC?
The start of the 2022 college football season is only five days away and the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide is set to open their season on Saturday inside Bryant-Denny Stadium against the Utah State Aggies.
Expectations are once again sky-high for the Alabama football team as they return a roster loaded full of talent including Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Bryce Young. The Crimson Tide will look to defend their title as SEC Champions and avenge their national championship game loss but there are still plenty of good teams that stand in their way.
Let's take a look at some of the potential top contenders in the SEC:
No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs come into the 2022 season as the reigning national champions after defeating Alabama in last year's title game. Even after losing five first round picks on the defensive side of the ball to the NFL, the Bulldog defense is expected to be elite once again with defensive end Nolan Smith and cornerback Keele Ringo leading the charge.
On offense, quarterback Stetson Bennett returns to lead an offense that has weapons like tight ends Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington in the fold. While there might be some regression on the defensive end due to the immense amount of talent they lost, Georgia is once again expected to compete for a national championship and be the representative from the SEC East.
No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies were the other team that defeated the Crimson Tide in 2021 and with the talent that Jimbo Fisher has recruited to College Station, this year's team could be even better. On offense, Haynes King is still an uncertainty at quarterback but skill players Devon Achane and Ainias Smith will provide a lot of explosiveness.
Alabama's matchup with Texas A&M is one that will be highly anticipated for several reasons but could be even more so if both teams enter into the game with undefeated records.
No. 19 Arkansas Razorbacks
Sam Pittman's Razorbacks have improved every season and could be primed to take another leap this season. The roster may not be as deep as the teams mentioned above but Arkansas figures to be solid on both sides of the ball and quarterback KJ Jefferson will look to improve on his breakout 2021 campaign.
While the Razorbacks may not have expectations of competing for a national championship yet, they are certainly a dangerous team and have the potential to upset some of the SEC elites.
Check out the video at the top of the page where BamaCentral's Clay Miller and Katie Windham discuss the top contenders in the SEC for the 2022 season.
