SEC Championship: Alabama 27, Georgia 24. The Kirby Smart rematch broke the Tide's way; Georgia's 29-game streak snapped; the CFP door reopened.
2023 — The Last Saban Year
Alabama won the SEC title, reached the CFP semifinal, lost to Michigan in overtime, and closed the chapter on Nick Saban's seventeen-year tenure.
The Shape — week-by-week · cumulative W–L below
Who carried it
- Jalen MilroeQB2,834 passing yards
- Jase McClellanRB890 rushing yards
- Roydell WilliamsRB560 rushing yards
- Jamarion MillerRB201 rushing yards
- Jermaine BurtonWR798 receiving yards
- Isaiah BondWR668 receiving yards
- Amari NiblackTE327 receiving yards
- Caleb DownsS107 tackles
- Deontae LawsonLB67 tackles
- Jihaad CampbellLB66 tackles
- Dallas TurnerLB11 sacks
- Chris BraswellLB8 sacks
- Justin EboigbeDL7 sacks
Season leaders, 2023.
Rose Bowl: Michigan 27, Alabama 20 (OT). Jalen Milroe's goal-line run on fourth down stopped short. The season closed; the era closed four days later.
Nick Saban's retirement announcement, January 10, 2024. Seventeen years; six national titles; the era closed in the same week the season did.
"I think maybe it's time."
2023 is the Process era's closing chapter. An SEC title, a CFP semifinal, a goal-line stop in overtime, and a retirement announcement within the same week. The chapter's legacy is dual: the on-field near-miss is one layer; the era's official close is another. Alabama's next ten seasons will be measured against the 2007-2023 ledger, and the 2023 season is the ledger's final line. The DeBoer era began with the chapter already written.