Alabama football's preseason hype has reached a new low, with the team ranked only 15th by Athlon. This is a stark contrast to the past, when Alabama was a dominant force in college football, intimidating opponents even in early July. The author, Joseph Goodman, reflects on the team's recent struggles, including a humiliating bowl loss to Indiana and a lack of backbone on the field. He questions the team's identity and wonders if they can ever recover from this slump. Goodman also comments on the SEC's changing landscape, with new teams like LSU and Texas rising to prominence, and even Ole Miss projected to be better than Alabama. He speculates that Alabama's lack of pride and mettle may be a result of the transfer portal and pay-for-play era, where players are more focused on collecting paychecks than on winning. Goodman concludes by calling for Alabama to find a backbone and toughen up, or else face the consequences of continued mediocrity.
