Alabama has the perfect 13-0 record, the No. 1 ranked defense and Nick Saban, the architect of three Crimson Tide national championships over the past five years, on the sideline.
So what could go wrong in its semifinal matchup against Washington on Saturday afternoon?
Well, Huskies coach Chris Petersen, the man who orchestrated Boise State’s 2007 Fiesta Bowl upset of Oklahoma, is enough of a mastermind to cause alarm. Give Petersen a month to prepare and there’s no telling what type of game plan he can create.
“You saw through all the offseasons at Boise when he was preparing for open weekend games that he always pulled upsets, then of course what he was able to do with Fiesta Bowls in the past,” ESPN college football play-by-play broadcaster Joe Tessitore said ahead of calling this weekend’s matchup. “The role that Chris Petersen and his staff will have with a month of preparation with this game is very intriguing.”
It’s made more compelling because of how the Huskies have fared against top-25 opponents.
While it’s the Washington offense — ranked third in the FCS by averaging 44.5 points per game — that garners much of the attention, it’s the defense which could give Alabama reason for concern.
Against ranked teams, Washington surrendered just 14 points per game, compared to 18.2 in 10 games against unranked teams.
“It’s not often you look at Pac-12 defensive lines and they remind you of what you typically see when calling games in the SEC,” Tessitore said. “But this defensive line looks that way.”
Even the popular storyline of the Crimson Tide defense dominating the contest can be questioned when faced with the offensive attack of Washington.
Alabama’s front seven is the best in the nation and can be so dominant in the trenches, even some NFL teams would blush. But its secondary — one that’s struggled at different times this season — is a different story.
The Crimson Tide’s pass defense ranks 15th in the nation, allowing 184.5 yards per game, but has been susceptible to big plays. That falls right into the strength of Washington quarterback Jake Browning. The sophomore, who spurned an Alabama offer during his recruitment, set a program record with 42 touchdown passes to go along with a 176.5 quarterback rating — the fifth-best in college football.
“When I first watched him early in the year, studied him on film, he’s a quarterback that knows exactly where he wants to go with the ball just about every time he takes a dropback,” ESPN analyst Todd Blackledge said. “He does not hold the ball very long. He’s very decisive, very accurate, as long as he has time and protection.”
All of which could derail the dynasty talk surrounding Alabama.
A national title would be the Crimson Tide’s fourth in the past six years in a time frame when the landscape of college football has changed. Pro offenses have been replaced by spread systems, players no longer stay for a full four years and coaches and recruits change teams each offseason.
Yet through it all, Alabama has remained consistent, winning 86-of-96 games since 2009.
“I just think that the championship-level consistency they’ve been able to play at and sustain is unbelievable,” Blackledge said. “It’s the best that we’ve ever seen in college football.”
Although a loss to the Huskies could change the conversation.