Joel Klatt Compares 2024 Alabama To Lincoln Riley-era Oklahoma Teams

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The post-Nick Saban era at Alabama has already created a remarkable high and an astonishing low. And college football commentator Joel Klatt thinks those types of results are likely to be much more common moving forward.

Appearing on The Next Round Live show, Klatt talked about how Alabama's defensive struggles and offensive prowess remind him of the Oklahoma Sooners teams under Lincoln Riley. Instead of Saban's suffocating defenses, the new Crimson Tide model will have to be outscoring their opposition.

"This Bama team is just another version of the Lincoln Riley OU teams," Klatt said. "Incredible explosive offense, and they’re gonna be in shootouts the rest of the way. I told you that after the South Florida game and that’s what they are.

"We’ve had four straight games of this. To think, all of a sudden, it’s going to get better — Alabama, right now, is just a Big 12 team from 2017. Bama is gonna have to score 45 PPG in conference to win the rest of their games."

Alabama Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 28: Deontae Lawson #0 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates after his sack against the Georgia Bulldogs during the third quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 28, 2024 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Alabama Crimson Tide Exemplify The New SEC

Klatt has a point; Alabama's defense has taken a step, if not several steps, backward in 2024. Per ESPN's SP+ metric ranking system, the Crimson Tide are 13th in defensive efficiency, and No. 1 in offensive efficiency. Some of that defensive ranking, though, incorporates preseason projections. 

Riley's Oklahoma teams rarely came close to reaching the top 15 in defensive efficiency. The 2017 Sooners team that finished 12-2 was first in SP+ offense, but 43rd in defense. Alabama's rankings may adjust further downward as the season progresses and preseason expectations are given less and less weight. But they're hardly an exception in the modern SEC.

The conference's reputation was built on the toughest defenses in the country, and for good reason. This year, however, the shift toward offense is obvious.

Per SP+ again, this is where the conference's top teams rank in offensive efficiency:

  • 1) Alabama
  • 2) Texas
  • 3) LSU
  • 6) Georgia
  • 7) Ole Miss
  • 10) Florida
  • 13) Tennessee
  • 15) Missouri

The top three offenses are all in the SEC, six in the top 10, and eight in the top 15. It's an offense-first league these days. 

There's also a reason Nick Saban is the best college coach in the sport's history. It's virtually impossible to fill his shoes or replicate his success. What he was able to do, especially in the latter half of his career, was marrying modern offensive concepts with exceptional defensive coaching, talent evaluation and play calling. The question for Alabama now becomes, will it be the new Riley-era Oklahoma, or can the Tide fix their defensive issues on the fly in the middle of the season. 

With elite offenses like Tennessee, Missouri and LSU, as well as tough matchups against Oklahoma and Auburn on the schedule, they, and we, are going to get the answer quickly.