3 reasons why Alabama will win the College Football Playoff

It’s unanimous, Alabama is the undisputed king of college football right now. The committee didn't have to debate for one second as to who would be the No. 1 team in this year's CFP. But what exactly makes Alabama a force to be reckoned with?

Here's a look at the top three reasons why Alabama will be going back to back in five short weeks.

Defense

Jeremy Pruitt was a highly-regarded defensive coordinator long before Nick Saban tasked him with running his defense last December. The former Broyles Award Finalist transformed Florida State's defense into a menacing unit back in 2013 en route to the school's first national championship in 14 years. Yet many Alabama fans felt that replacing Kirby Smart would be a daunting task. After all, Smart's defenses regularly finished in the top five nationally and churned out first-round NFL Draft picks at will.

Even a half step back for the Tide's defense in Pruitt's first season calling the plays could have been a reasonable expectation. Instead, Alabama's fearsome defense appears even more dominant than it did under Smart. Pick a metric and Alabama's defense hits it out of the park. Run Defense? First in the nation, allowing a paltry 2.2 yards per carry. Havoc rating? Second in the nation at 22.9 percent. That means that nearly a fourth of their defensive snaps end in a tackle for loss, a pass defensed, or a forced fumble. Pruitt's unit has also crossed the goal line 10 times this season.

Florida, the team they just manhandled in the SEC Championship Game, only had 11 rushing touchdowns all season offensively and they get to start each play with the ball. An interception or fumble that doesn't end with a touchdown for the Crimson Tide almost feels anticlimactic. To borrow a phrase from ESPN's Dan Le Batard, this defense looks like a motorcycle gang running roughshod over a church picnic. Their dominance is so apparent that the statistical accomplishments are an afterthought. You don't need to back it up with facts, just flip on the tape and it's plain to see for everyone that this is the best defense in recent memory.

Jalen Hurts

Freshmen quarterbacks fall apart at some point. It's the way things are supposed to work out. They can dazzle, rack up gaudy statistics, even orchestrate an upset or two, but in the end, they have their fair share of "freshmen moments." Not Jalen Hurts.

Aside from a slight fumbling issue, the 18-year-old has piloted the Tide attack flawlessly. Lane Kiffin has undoubtedly protected Hurts with his game plans, but Hurts' sheer playmaking ability - particularly outside of the pocket - transcends scheme. His decision making has been remarkable and his ability to break defenses' backs with timely scrambles on third downs has become a calling card.

He has a higher Total QBR than other household names and fellow dual-threat quarterbacks Greg Ward Jr. and J.T. Barrett. He has six games this season without an interception and four 100-yard-plus rushing performances on his tally already. Schematically he takes the best defensive play calls away from opposing defensive coordinators because spying him is a necessity. And the best part for Hurts and the Tide is that he's still growing both as a passer and as a leader. That's bad news for Washington and whoever it faces in Tampa.

Confidence

This isn't to be confused with cockiness or swagger. You'd never mistake Alabama's dynasty for the Miami Hurricanes of the 1980s. Players rarely speak out of turn and Saban keeps a tight leash on his coaching staff. If you just listened to his weekly press conferences you'd swear the Tide were a struggling 7-5 team in search of an identity. But that's just what Saban preaches to the press corps.

Internally this team is resolute in its unwavering belief in Saban's “Process.” That system has led to countless wins and an aura around this particular team. The Crimson Tide simply don't panic, they don't come apart at the seams, they know what they have to do and they do it. Teams often lose to Alabama twice on Saturdays, first psychologically and then on the field. There's no true accounting for this kind of supreme confidence but it's easy to see that this bunch has it in spades.

From Saban all the way down to the water boy, this program is full steam ahead to the national title game.