No. 5 Alabama will be trying to overcome a litany of player opt-outs when it faces No. 9 Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl on Saturday afternoon. The Crimson Tide narrowly missed out on the College Football Playoff after losing two times during the regular season. Kansas State picked up a 31-28 win over TCU in overtime in the Big 12 title game.
No. 5 Alabama was heavily favored to make the College Football Playoff field again this season after entering as the preseason No. 1, but it was unable to overcome a pair of upset losses. The Crimson Tide raced out to a 6-0 start this season before losing at No. 6 Tennessee in a 52-49 final in mid-October. They bounced back with a 30-6 win over No. 24 Mississippi State before getting shocked by No. 10 LSU on the first Saturday of November. The Crimson Tide closed the season with a three-game winning streak, but it was not enough to surpass one-loss Ohio State in the eyes of the committee.
Dance BATTLE ?? pic.twitter.com/Zc130Z6mUG
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) December 28, 2022
They are going to have 2021 Heisman Trophy quarterback Bryce Young and star defender Will Anderson on the field for this game, but 15 Alabama players have entered the transfer portal. Five of those players are offensive linemen and five of them are wide receivers, so the Crimson Tide are thin at those positions coming into this game. Young threw for more than 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns this season, while Anderson ranked eighth in the nation with eight sacks—they are both expected to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. Alabama finished the season ranked third in the country in points per game (41.4). The Crimson Tide only covered the spread once in their last seven games.