2010 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

2010 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Alabama Crimson Tide logo
Capital One Bowl champion
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionWestern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 11
APNo. 10
Record10–3 (5–3 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJim McElwain (3rd season)
Offensive schemeMultiple pro-style
Defensive coordinatorKirby Smart (3rd season)
Base defense3–4
MVPJulio Jones
CaptainGreg McElroy
Dont'a Hightower
Mark Barron
Home stadiumBryant–Denny Stadium
Seasons
← 2009
2011 →
2010 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern Division
No. 22 South Carolina x   5 3     9 5  
Florida   4 4     8 5  
Georgia   3 5     6 7  
Tennessee   3 5     6 7  
Kentucky   2 6     6 7  
Vanderbilt   1 7     2 10  
Western Division
No. 1 Auburn x$#   8 0     14 0  
No. 12 Arkansas %   6 2     10 3  
No. 8 LSU   6 2     11 2  
No. 10 Alabama   5 3     10 3  
No. 15 Mississippi State   4 4     9 4  
Ole Miss*   1 7     4 8  
Championship: Auburn 56, South Carolina 17
  • # – BCS National Champion
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • * Ole Miss vacated all wins due to NCAA violations.
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2010 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 116th overall season, 77th as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and its 19th within the SEC Western Division. The team was led by head coach Nick Saban, in his fourth year, and played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Alabama entered the season as defending national champions, and began the 2010 season as the preseason number one team in both the AP and Coaches' Polls. Favored to win a second consecutive SEC championship and be in contention for the national championship, the Crimson Tide opened the season with five consecutive victories over San Jose State, Penn State, Duke, Arkansas and Florida. However, Alabama completed the regular season with only nine victories and losses to South Carolina, LSU and Auburn and finished fourth in the Western Division. After the regular season, the Crimson Tide accepted an invitation to compete in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando. Against Big Ten co-champions Michigan State, Alabama won by a final score of 49–7 and captured both a third straight ten win season and top ten finish.