Sleeper Teams on Alabama’s 2015 Schedule

Practice is starting to heat up for head coach Nick Saban and his squad in Tuscaloosa, and they'll need to progress as much as possible in order to get through their gauntlet of a schedule, considered by most to be the most difficult schedule in college football.

On September 5, the Tide will take on the Wisconsin Badgers in Jerry's World in Arlington, Texas, but before we get there, we're going to do what Saban hates to do: look to the future.

Most of the national pundits have Alabama losing just one or maybe two games, but they play in the SEC West, so wins aren't going to come easy by any means. Other than the obvious choices, which of those 12 teams are sleeper teams, teams that could slip up on Alabama and actually upset the Tide, possibly preventing them from making the 2016 College Football Playoff?

Wisconsin Badgers
It's almost a given for a Big 10 team on an SEC team's schedule would be considered a "sleeper," but it seems that to many Bama faithful, this is a gimme.
But in the words of Lee Corse, "not so fast my friend!" The Badgers are coming off a huge win over the Auburn Tigers in the 2015 Outback Bowl (thanks for the popcorn shrimp!), and they will be bringing their stout running game to Arlington to test out the Tide defensive line, one that is considered to be the best during Saban's tenure in Tuscaloosa.
Ole Miss Rebels
It feels odd to call a team that finished last season at 9-4 a "sleeper" team, but the Rebels lost star quarterback Bo Wallace, along with defensive studs D.T. Shackleford, Cody Prewitt, and Carlos Thompson.
The absence of those solid players, along with the game being in Tuscaloosa this season, plus the fact that they may be more confident this season after beating the Tide last season makes the Rebels a sleeper against Alabama, even with them being ranked #15 in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Okay, it's even harder to imagine a team that spent seven weeks as the #1 team in the country as a sleeper team. Dan Mullen's Bulldogs are getting zero respect for their feats last season, and they return arguably the most talented quarterback in the SEC in Dak Prescott.
Add to that the fact that the Tide has to travel to Starkville, a loud environment for any team, but especially so for a team that could still potentially have quarterback issues come mid-November. And let's not forget that this game will happen just seven days after the Tide do battle with the LSU Tigers, a game that is always physically exhausting for both the Tide and Tigers.
Tennessee Volunteers
Yes, believe the hype! The Vols are quickly becoming legitimate, all thanks to head coach Butch Jones.
There are still folks that aren't buying into the Vols, saying they are a year away. This type of thinking could do Alabama in, especially since they'll have an extra week to prepare for the LSU Tigers after this game.
Tennessee has plenty of talent, as they have boasted the 24th, 7th, and 4th best recruiting classes over the past three years, according to 247 Sports. Some say that they don't have depth, but the numbers don't lie. Alabama can't afford to sleep on these Volunteers this season.

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