Nick Saban has had some wild years in Tuscaloosa, but honestly, looking back at the university of alabama football schedule 2017, it stands out as one of the most stressful paths to a national title ever recorded. It wasn't just about the games. It was the injuries. It was the "Kick Six" ghosts haunting the regular-season finale. It was a true freshman quarterback coming off the bench in the middle of the night in Atlanta to save a season that seemed dead in the water.
People remember the trophy. They forget how close the whole thing came to falling apart in November.
The opening act in Atlanta
The season kicked off with a massive showdown. Alabama vs. Florida State. It was billed as the "Greatest Opener of All Time." At the time, FSU was ranked No. 3, and the Tide sat at No. 1. This wasn't a cupcake game to warm up the tires. It was a physical, brutal defensive struggle in the brand-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Alabama won 24-7, but the cost was high. This game basically ended Deondre Francois’ season for the Seminoles, and for Alabama, it was the start of a recurring nightmare with linebacker injuries. Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis both went down. If you followed that team, you knew the depth was being tested before the calendar even hit September 10th.
Navigating the mid-season grind
After the FSU clash, the university of alabama football schedule 2017 moved into what many fans call the "boring" phase, though Saban would kill me for saying that. They handled Fresno State and Colorado State. Then came the SEC slaughter.
The scores were frankly ridiculous.
Alabama went to Nashville and beat Vanderbilt 59-0. Then they came home and dismantled Ole Miss 66-3. In a two-week span, they outscored opponents 125-3. It looked like nobody in the country could even touch them. Jalen Hurts was efficient, the run game was a three-headed monster with Damien Harris, Bo Scarbrough, and a young Najee Harris, and the defense was playing like a group of future first-round NFL picks. Because they were.
💡 You might also like: Tonya Johnson: The Real Story Behind Saquon Barkley's Mom and His NFL Journey
But the schedule was hiding some landmines. A trip to College Station to play Texas A&M proved way tougher than the experts predicted. Alabama escaped with a 27-19 win, but the cracks in the armor started to show. The passing game wasn't explosive. It was "safe." In the modern SEC, safe eventually gets you beat.
The November gauntlet and the Iron Bowl disaster
The real meat of the university of alabama football schedule 2017 arrived in November. LSU came to town. It was a typical 24-10 slugfest where the Tide defense looked impenetrable, but the offense struggled to find a rhythm. Then came the trip to Starkville.
Mississippi State nearly ruined everything. With under a minute left, Alabama was staring at a tie game. Jalen Hurts found DeVonta Smith—a name that would become legendary later that year—for a 26-yard touchdown to win it 31-24. It was a massive sigh of relief.
Then came Auburn.
The Iron Bowl in 2017 was a disaster for the Tide. Jarrett Stidham and the Tigers played a nearly perfect game. Alabama’s defense, ravaged by those early-season linebacker injuries, finally looked tired. Auburn converted third down after third down. Alabama lost 26-14. They didn't just lose the game; they lost the SEC West. They didn't even go to the SEC Championship game. For most teams, the season ends there.
📖 Related: Tom Brady Throwing Motion: What Most People Get Wrong
The controversial playoff entrance
This is where the 2017 schedule gets spicy from a historical perspective. Because Alabama didn't play in the SEC title game, they sat on the couch while Georgia beat Auburn. The selection committee had a choice: a two-loss Big Ten champion Ohio State or a one-loss Alabama that didn't win its division.
Kinda crazy, right?
The committee chose Alabama. The "eye test" won out. This set up a Sugar Bowl rematch with Clemson—the third year in a row these two titans met in the postseason. The Alabama defense decided to take out their frustration on Kelly Bryant, holding the Tigers to just 6 points in a dominant 24-6 win. Da'Ron Payne catching a touchdown pass as a defensive tackle remains one of the best highlights of that entire era.
The 2nd-and-26 finale
Technically, the university of alabama football schedule 2017 ended on January 8, 2018. The National Championship against Georgia.
You probably know the story. Alabama was down 13-0 at halftime. The offense was stagnant. Saban made the ballsiest move of his career and benched Jalen Hurts for a true freshman from Hawaii named Tua Tagovailoa.
👉 See also: The Philadelphia Phillies Boston Red Sox Rivalry: Why This Interleague Matchup Always Feels Personal
The game went to overtime. Georgia kicked a field goal. Alabama took the ball, and on the first play, Tua took a disastrous sack. It was 2nd and 26. The season was on the line. Then, Tua looked off the safety and launched a moonshot to DeVonta Smith.
Touchdown. Game over. National Champions.
Key Stats from the 2017 Campaign:
- Final Record: 13-1
- Points Per Game: 37.1
- Points Allowed Per Game: 11.9 (No. 1 in the nation)
- Total Rushing Yards: 3,513
- Turnovers Lost: Only 10 (unbelievable ball security)
Why this schedule still matters for fans today
Looking back at the university of alabama football schedule 2017, it teaches us a lot about how the College Playoff system evolved. It proved that a loss in November isn't a death sentence if you have the "brand" and the defensive metrics to back it up. It also signaled the end of the "game manager" era at Alabama and the beginning of the explosive, high-flying offense we see today.
If you are a collector or a sports historian, here is how you should actually use this info:
- Re-watch the Mississippi State game: If you want to see the exact moment the 2017 team learned how to win under pressure, it's the final drive in Starkville, not just the championship.
- Analyze the injury report: Look at how many different linebackers started games that year. It’s a masterclass in coaching "next man up" mentality.
- Check the recruiting classes: The 2017 roster featured Tua, Najee Harris, DeVonta Smith, Henry Ruggs III, and Jerry Jeudy—basically a Pro Bowl roster in the making.
The 2017 season was messy. It was imperfect. But the way that specific schedule played out created the most dramatic finish in the history of the program. If you're ever arguing with a friend about whether a team can win it all without winning their conference, this is your Exhibit A.
Check the box scores, look at the defensive snap counts, and you'll see a team that was essentially held together by Saban's "Process" and a little bit of freshman magic.