Alabama Football 2016: Crimson Power Rankings-Week Two

Before I unveil this week’s rankings, I will leave you with this statement: Alabama’s first team defense scored more points than Western Kentucky— They didn’t even need the Crimson Tide offense to win the game.

That statement will be reflected in the power rankings.

Per usual, the hardest part of creating these rankings is going through the looping process of remembering a player that deserves to be on the list, then looking through the 16 already on the list and not being able to take any of them off. This is an insanely talented team.

The Crimson Power Rankings: Week Two

1. DE-Jonathan Allen (1)
2. CB-Marlon Humphrey (3)
3. WLB-Reuben Foster (2)
4. WR-Calvin Ridley (4)
5. S-Eddie Jackson (7)
6. P-J.K. Scott (6)
7. SLB-Ryan Anderson (5)
8. WR-ArDarius Stewart (10)
9. CB/STAR-Minkah Fitzpatrick (9)
10. LT-Cam Robinson (13)
11. JACK-Tim Williams (8)
12. DE-Dalvin Tomlinson (13)
13. S-Ronnie Harrison (NR)
14. NT-Da’Ron Payne (NR)
15. RT-Jonah Williams (NR)
16. TE-O.J. Howard (12)

The Jonathan Allen spot

Allen still holds the top spot on the team. As king of the hill, he has held it for all three editions since the start of the series. He’s looked almost unblockable in two games so far, and has an absolute claim on the crown.

The upper echelon

The top seven players on this team are still the same as they were last week. After an outstanding game, Marlon Humphrey edged past Reuben Foster for the second spot, but Foster will push for his spot back when the Tide plays a team that runs the ball a little more often.

After his pick-six, Eddie Jackson switched spots with linebacker Ryan Anderson. Though the order changed a little, the top 7 players on the team are still the best.

Biggest risers

Looking more and more like a trusted receiving threat, rather than just an explosive athlete, ArDarius Stewart continues to climb the list. Cam Robinson, aside from his once-per-game false start, had, to my eye, perhaps his best game since he was a freshman. And man did you see him blocking down the field on that receiver screen? 315 pounds should not be able to move that fast.

The big story, though, is that Ronnie Harrsion, Da’Ron Payne, and Jonah Williams all made it onto the list for the first time. Harrison had a nice interception, some solid coverage, and a couple of bone-jarring tackles, all while playing with an even-keeled temper.

Payne made an impact along the defense line despite being a nose tackle against a pure spread/air raid offense. That alone says a lot about the big man’s potential and talents.

The fall

O.J. Howard, despite one decent catch, dropped a touchdown that might have been Jalen Hurts’ most impressive pass of the day. He also regressed significantly this week in his blocking, blowing quite a few assignments on WR screens. The senior is still a talented player though, and should be able to work his way back up.

The big fall, though, was by Ross Pierschbacher. After a solid freshman campaign and a decent showing at a new position against USC, he was flat out awful early in the game against Western Kentucky, and he was then removed from the field in favor of the returning-from-banishment Alphonse Taylor, only to never be seen again. Ross, to my eye, has been one of the best linemen on the team since last season, but if the man is no longer even considered one of the best five linemen on the team by the coaches, then he does not belong on the list.

Freshmen!

As mentioned (but then skipped over) above, Jonah Williams broke into the rankings this week. His arrival marks the first true freshman to make his way into the top 16. He and Cam Robinson played admirable on the outside of the offensive line, even while the interior three struggled.

Trevon Diggs is oozing talent and working his way into more and more playing time. If he manages to start making a significant impact, I would not be surprised to see him on here.

Lastly, QB Jalen Hurts is vying for a spot too. He had a great stat line this week that would have been almost comically good if two receivers had not dropped touchdown passes and a 70-yard pass called back for a dumb penalty. Despite that, though, he’s still shown a lot of freshman-like decisions and inconsistency. He may not yet be on the list, but if he continues improving, expect to see his name sooner rather than later.

Almost made it

Bo Scarbrough, with limited touches, has looked like a consistently unstoppable beast running up the middle. After watching him against WKU, he might even be a better blocker then 3/5th of the offensive line. However, he hasn’t made much of a tangible impact yet. I would expect that to change with more touches.

Shaun Hamilton probably deserves to be on the list, but he got very little playing time against the spread offense of the Hilltoppers. The man is a great linebacker, but it is hard to put him as one of the teams best when he can’t stay on the field.

So, what do you think? Is Jalen Hurts underrated? Should a punter really be the 6th best on the team? Leave your obviously infallible opinions in the comments below and they might even be taken into consideration next week.