Alabama’s running backs hold key to College Football Playoff return

Alabama remained one of the most talented teams in the country going into the season, but the running backs hold the key to the College Football Playoff.

If the Crimson Tide want to return to the final four and win another national title, the potentially elite running back group has to step up. There’s no Heisman Trophy winning quarterback under center this time.

Now, it’s time to go a little old school, according to On3’s J.D. PicKell.

“Alabama’s running back room, potentially over performing,” PicKell said on The Hard Count. “And if this happens, if Jase McClellan and Justice Haynes, the freshman who looked real good in that spring game, if they over-perform along with the rest of that group, Alabama is going to be a College Football Playoff team. Why? Because college football is cyclical. Like previously before we got into the spread out, go no huddle, go tempo, It was playing in the trenches. Run the football, play good defense, like a version of that is kind of what won you national titles. 

“That’s what Nick Saban did with Trent Richardson and what that group did, and then it became like it was talking about a little more spread out, a little more up-tempo, a little bit more you got to score 40, you got to score 50. But now it’s starting to come back around. The cycle is starting to come back around to how I think Nick Saban wants it, which is that we’re going to control the line of scrimmage. We’re going to move you against your will and there’s nothing you can do  about it.”

There’s a reason why Alabama’s offensive scheme might lean that way this year. A heavy dose of elite running backs? Thank new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.

“I think that’s one of the reasons why I believe Nick Saban hired Tommy Rees, because they ran the ball really well at Notre Dame,” PicKell said. “And so they’re going to ask a lot of this group. This running back room, along with the offensive line, that’s going to be the engine for the offense. Everybody’s talking about the quarterback room, who’s going to start, who’s not going to start, like I’m here for that as well. I’m all about that conversation.

“I think it’s important. I don’t think it’s nearly as important as some people want to make it out to be because the quarterback can be responsible for converting third-and-three, third-and-two, hitting the open shot when the safeties creep up. Like that’s gonna be what the quarterback has to do, and not give the ball to the team.”

But it all comes back to the running game and controlling the clock. If Alabama’s running backs perform or over perform, the Crimson Tide should cruise into the playoffs.

“If this running back room over performs, they’re going to be a College Football Playoff team I’m telling you right now,” PicKell said. “Now if they want to win a national title, gotta have something to do with the running back room.

“Then you look back at the quarterback and say okay, we need to get us over the hump, or we need the defense to play at an elite level. But if they over perform in the running back room, Alabama will be a college football playoff team.”