Either Tyler Buchner, Jalen Milroe or Ty Simpson could be the one to help Alabama overtake Georgia in contention for a national title this season and beyond.
By the start of the Texas game, Alabama needs to figure out who will be the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback between Tyler Buchner, Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson.
With Bryce Young having turned pro and former offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien returning to the NFL, this is a huge decision to make for Tommy Rees in his first season in Tuscaloosa. Obviously, what Nick Saban says goes, but keep in mind that he is a defensive backs coach at his very core. Buchner worked with Rees in Notre Dame before, but Milroe and Simpson have been mainstays.
Between the trio of potential starting quarterbacks, who gives the Crimson Tide their best chance at knocking off Georgia to win the SEC and go as far as possible in the College Football Playoff? All three have positive upside and all three will play at points this season, but there is only one right answer for the short-term, medium-term and long-term. So which one is it going to have to be?
Interestingly enough, all three fit one different timeline to perfection in this challenging situation.
Alabama football: What QB gives Crimson Tide the best shot at beating Georgia?
Let's start with the short-term. That has to be either Buchner, who has played in this system before, or Milroe, who has the most experience at Alabama. I would probably lean Milroe over Buchner in this spot because he is not going to be overwhelmed by the big stage in Week 2 vs. Texas. If Alabama loses with Milroe, Saban can live with it, but maybe not him holding a clipboard.
In the medium-term, it might be Buchner over Milroe because he knows Rees' offense the best. Milroe should edge out Buchner based on his scrambling ability and ad-libbing nature. But if you want a guy to be in cohesion with Rees offensively, then I would lean Buchner here. As far as the long-term solution, it must be Simpson because he is the most talented quarterback among them.
So how do you beat Georgia if you are Alabama? You start by beating Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas A&M first. All three quarterbacks are going to provide something different the others cannot, which is why all three will play. However, I am more willing to roll with Milroe over Buchner and Simpson because Alabama is going to need a little bit of magic to beat Georgia.
The reason why Ohio State nearly upended Georgia in the Peach Bowl was because Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud scrambled a bit and was unafraid to go off-script. It is the same reason why the last team to beat Georgia, which just so happens to be the Crimson Tide, did so two years ago in Atlanta. Young played one of the best games of his life by confusing the Georgia defense.
To me, for someone to beat Georgia this season, Georgia has to beat itself first. Carson Beck is more than ready to take the reins from Stetson Bennett IV, but he is largely unproven at the Power Five level at quarterback, even more so for his backups in Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton. If Georgia does pull back and Alabama holds steady, I feel like Milroe has to be their guy this season.
Although it might be Simpson eventually, you just have to roll with Milroe if you are Alabama now.
