Special Athlon offer for SI.com readers

The Lowdown 2006 Schedule Coach: Mike Shula (4th season, 20-17) 2005 record: 10-2 (Beat Texas Tech in Cotton Bowl) SEC finish: 6-2 (3rd West) 2005 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 65th (142.5 ypg) Passing: 69th (216.4 ypg) 2005 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 9th (94.3 ypg) Passing: 5th (160.8 ypg) Date Opponent Sept. 2 Hawaii Sept. 9 Vanderbilt Sept. 16 UL Monroe Sept. 23 at Arkansas Sept. 30 at Florida Oct. 7 Duke Oct. 14 Ole Miss Oct. 21 at Tennessee Oct. 28 Florida International Nov. 4 Mississippi State Nov. 11 at LSU Nov. 18 Auburn Depth Chart: Offense 9 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. WR 81 Keith Brown Jr. 11 Matt Caddell Jr. WR 22 DJ Hall Jr. 9 Nikita Stover So. LT 72 Chris Capps Jr. - Andre Smith Fr. LG 76 Marlon Davis So. 50 Justin Britt Jr. C 59 Antoine Caldwell So. 70 Evan Cardwell Fr. RG 61 B.J. Stabler So. 73 Justin Moon Jr. RT 58 Kyle Tatum Sr. 79 Drew Davis Fr. TE 88 Nick Walker So. 83 Travis McCall So. QB 14 John Parker Wilson So. 18 Marc Guillon Sr. FB 33 Le’Ron McClain Sr. 19 Tim Castille Sr. RB 34 Kenneth Darby Sr. 10 Jimmy Johns So. Depth Chart: Defense 4 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 92 Wallace Gilberry Jr. 91 Chris Harris Sr. DT 99 Jeremy Clark Sr. 97 Lorenzo Washington Fr. DT 96 Dominic Lee Sr. 67 J.P. Adams Sr. DE 93 Bobby Greenwood So. 94 Keith Saunders Jr. WLB 42 Juwan Simpson Sr. 44 Demarcus Waldrop Jr. MLB 56 Matt Collins Jr. 21 Prince Hall Fr. SLB 55 Terrence Jones Sr. 32 Chris Keys So. CB 2 Simeon Castille Jr. 36 Eric Gray Jr. CB 1 Ramzee Robinson Sr. 17 Chris Rogers Fr. SS 20 Marcus Carter Jr. 49 Rashad Johnson So. FS 3 Jeffrey Dukes Sr. 43 Sam Burnthall Fr. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr. K 86 Jamie Christensen Jr. P 11 P.J. Fitzgerald Fr. KR 22 DJ Hall Jr. PR 22 DJ Hall Jr.

To order your 2006 Athlon Sports annual and receive $1 off plus free shipping courtesy of SI.com, click here.

After two seasons of injury mishaps and a spotty depth chart due to NCAA trouble, Alabama coach Mike Shula and his staff proved in 2005 they could be a big winner.

The trick now for Shula, who received a significant pay raise last winter, is showing that the Crimson Tide can be a consistent winner. And you know it won't come easy after the departure of many key elements of a senior-dominated defense and the loss of headline-grabbing quarterback Brodie Croyle. Adding to the level of difficulty, Alabama plays four of its five toughest games on the road.

The questionable status of star receiver Tyrone Prothro, who shattered his lower left leg late in a huge win over Florida, also lends a large element of the unknown.

Four starters, plus the tight end, are back on Alabama's offensive line, but they weren't exactly a tower of power last season. The offensive front will also have only one senior starter and will feature at least three starters who are sophomores or younger.

"I think we're further ahead now with our offensive line than we've been at this point in time in any one season, which is good," Shula says. "We should be."

Three years of scholarship limitations, which ended with the 2005 signing class, have still left reminders, such as thin depth at receiver, linebacker and safety. Many of Alabama's backups will be green underclassmen in 2006. "We're still young," Shula says. "We have a tough schedule."

OFFENSE

Outside of smashing performances against Florida and South Carolina, this was a vanilla, blue-collar unit last season, even with Croyle at the helm. Look for less ball security with John Parker Wilson pulling the trigger, possibly a little more third-down creativity, and a slight tilt back toward the running game.

Wilson is a more physical presence than Croyle and should keep his running totals in the black, but he's less accurate, tossing two picks in the spring game. "Regardless of how many good things you do, when you get two interceptions, that costs you," Shula says. "That could cost you the game."

The line should be a more cohesive unit than the group that led the SEC in sacks allowed (37) last season. Antoine Caldwell, a starter at guard last year, is a rising star at center. Signee Andre Smith is considered talented enough to push for a starting job at left tackle.

The backfield is a strength, with workhorse Kenneth Darby backed up by a talented crew and fronted by probably the best fullback tandem around in Le'Ron McClain and Tim Castille. Darby is a two-time 1,000-yard rusher and needs 1,077 to break Shaun Alexander's school record. Junior college transfer Nikita Stover could emerge as a key weapon.

DJ Hall and Keith Brown lead a talented receiving corps that lacks depth with Prothro in doubt.

DEFENSE

Back-to-back No. 2 national rankings in total defense have re-established Joe Kines as one of the top coordinators in the land and squelched most of the ardent skeptics who were ready to chase him in 2003.

Now, however, the Kines system will rely on a larger collection of first-time starters to make his proverbial "fits" after the departure of seven seasoned starters. The linebacking crew is particularly raw aside from third-year starter Juwan Simpson. Terrence Jones finally gets his chance at strong-side linebacker, and former walk-on Matt Collins is leading a solid three-man stack in the middle.

Jeremy Clark, Wallace Gilberry and Dominic Lee must stoke up their leadership roles on the defensive front, which is populous but young in reserve.

Jeffrey Dukes and Marcus Carter have the unenviable job of replacing standout safeties Roman Harper and Charlie Peprah. If Ramzee Robinson's back issues sort out, he and Simeon Castille could be two of the SEC's best, with Eric Gray and Lionel Mitchell in solid support.

SPECIALISTS

Jamie Christensen won three games with last-second field goals in 2005, and he showed better range and accuracy in the spring. The punting job is up for grabs, with P.J. Fitzgerald in the lead. Without Prothro, the Tide's return game turned into a mess late last year. Matt Caddell, Castille and possibly newcomers like Javier Arenas will get a shot here.

FINAL ANALYSIS

There are lots of issues to sort out - the new starter at quarterback, improving the offensive front, a bunch of fresh blood on defense, the kick-return dilemma - plus a brutal schedule, making this a supremely challenging season. The non-conference slate should be a sweep, but road trips to Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee and LSU, plus Auburn at home, will be hazardous in a year of great transition.