| 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide football | |
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Consensus national champion Rose Bowl champion SEC champion SEC Western Division champion | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Western Division | |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 1 |
| AP | No. 1 |
| Record | 13–0 (10–0 SEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Steve Sarkisian (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Spread |
| Defensive coordinator | Pete Golding (2nd season) |
| Co-defensive coordinator | Charles Kelly (2nd season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| Captain | Landon Dickerson DeVonta Smith Alex Leatherwood Mac Jones |
| Home stadium | Bryant–Denny Stadium |
Uniform | |
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Florida x | 8 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Georgia | 7 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri | 5 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 4 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee* | 3 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 2 | – | 8 | 2 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 0 | – | 9 | 0 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Alabama x$#^ | 10 | – | 0 | 13 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Texas A&M | 8 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 6 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU* | 5 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 4 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 3 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 3 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Alabama 52, Florida 46 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This was the Crimson Tide's 126th overall season, 87th as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and 29th within the SEC Western Division. They played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and were led by 14th-year head coach Nick Saban (with second-year offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian serving as acting coach for Game 8, against Auburn, due to COVID-19 protocols).
They finished the season undefeated with a record of 13-0 (10-0 in the SEC) and as national champions. Looking to build on the successes of the 2019 campaign, Alabama entered the 2020 season as the favorite to win the Western Division and meet the Florida Gators in the 2020 SEC Championship Game. Alabama closed the regular season with a 11–0 record including five wins against Top 25-ranked teams—and met the Gators for the SEC Championship in a rematch of the 2016 contest. Alabama was victorious by a final score of 52–46 to capture their 9th SEC championship title. The following day, final College Football Playoff (CFP) standings were unveiled. No. 1 ranked Alabama would meet No. 4 ranked Notre Dame for the Rose Bowl game in a rematch of the 2013 contest, defeated the Fighting Irish 31–14 to meet No. 3 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in a rematch of their 2015 contest. In the College Football Playoff National Championship, the Crimson Tide defeated the Buckeyes, 52–24, to capture their third CFP National Championship title in seven years. The victory over Ohio State gave Alabama their 18th national championship in football (their 13th wire service title since the AP Poll began in 1936) and their tenth perfect season since 1925.
The season marked the first time a wide receiver at Alabama won the Heisman Trophy, as DeVonta Smith won the award over several finalists including Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence. In addition to the Heisman, Smith won numerous other awards, including the Maxwell Award and the Biletnikoff Award. Other award winners included quarterback Mac Jones (Davey O’Brien Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award), running back Najee Harris (Doak Walker Award), Alex Leatherwood (Outland Trophy), Landon Dickerson (Rimington Trophy), the offensive line (Joe Moore Award), and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian (Broyles Award). Six players were named to various All-America Teams with Patrick Surtain II, DeVonta Smith, Alex Leatherwood, Landon Dickerson, and Najee Harris as unanimous selections and Mac Jones as a consensus selection.
The team finished the 2020 season with a final ranking of No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches' Polls.
Because of their dominance of their all SEC schedule with multiple ranked opponents, and the fact that they finished with three Heisman Trophy candidates, several pundits have called the team the greatest in college football history with ESPN citing them as the greatest team of the playoff era.[1][2][3]
- ^ "Ranking all 36 CFP teams: Where do Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State fit?". ESPN.com. December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ Walsh, Christopher. "Was 2020 Alabama the Best Team Ever? The Debate has Just Begun". Sports Illustrated Alabama Crimson Tide News, Analysis and More. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ Planos, Josh. "Alabama's Case As The Best College Football Team Ever". FiveThirtyEight.