The Alabama Crimson Tide are apparently in the pole position this year. Based on a new metric, they have the best shot at winning the national title, which would be the program's first since Nick Saban's shocking retirement after the 2023 season. Kalen DeBoer had a paltry, by comparison, season at 9-4 last year, but things might turn around.
CBS Sports revealed the Blue-Chip Ratio, which effectively determines how well a team has recruited. It does not factor in transfers because, per their own revelations, a team built primarily through the portal has not yet won the NCAA title. It's all about recruiting, even in today's day and age of NIL and the portal's immense power.
And according to all that, Alabama is right up there with Ohio State. They each have an 89% Blue-Chip Ratio, the best in the nation. How does that compare to the past? Last season, OSU had a 90% ratio and they won the title. Of course, dethroning them when they've also recruited just as well will be a challenge, but the Crimson Tide are up for it.
Additionally, Alabama didn't lose as many key players. Naturally, a title-winning team has a lot of turnover because their players often head to the next level, which is what happened. Will Howard and most of the Buckeyes' defensive line is gone, so that's going to be difficult to replace.
Alabama doesn't have that issue, which might give them a leg up. Furthermore, both OSU and Alabama are 5% higher than the next-best team, Georgia, so these two could be on a collision course in the title game. The highest Blue-Chip team isn't always the champion, and there have been anomalies, but typically, the higher the ratio is, the better their chances.