Notable departures from the 2014 squad included juniors Amari Cooper, T. J. Yeldon, and Landon Collins, who all forwent their final year of eligibility and declared for the 2015 NFL draft.

2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (2–0) opened its 2015 home slate in impressive fashion, forcing four turnovers en route to a 37–10 victory over visiting Middle Tennessee (1–1) in front of 98,568 fans at Bryant–Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The opening kickoff of the game would set the tone for Alabama, as a fumble by sophomore receiver ArDarius Stewart on the return was recovered by Ole Miss.

The 12th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide shut out the visiting ULM Warhawks (1–2; 0–0 in the Sun Belt Conference) by a final score of 34–0 in front of 101,323 fans at Bryant–Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Senior quarterback Jacob Coker found freshman wide receiver Calvin Ridley for a touchdown early in the second quarter, the first of the rookie's career.

Alabama erased a 7–3 deficit late in the third quarter on an 81-yard pass from quarterback Jake Coker to wide receiver Calvin Ridley, a play that ignited an offense that had struggled to finish drives most of the game to that point.

That score, with 1:39 left in the third period, turned the game in Alabama's favor as the Crimson Tide stopped an Arkansas drive at the Hogs' 43 on the ensuing possession and marched to a touchdown on a 3-yard pass from Coker to wideout Richard Mullaney for a 17–7 lead.

Derrick Henry added a 1-yard touchdown run with 2:44 left, marking the 11th consecutive game in which he has scored on the ground, to give the Tide the final 27–7 victory margin.

Arkansas' first touchdown came in the second quarter on a four-yard pass by quarterback Brandon Allen to wide receiver Drew Morgan after the Hogs took possession at the Tide 12 following an interception.

Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry rushed for 236 yards and two touchdowns while cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick and strong safety Eddie Jackson nabbed two interceptions each.

Tied at halftime, 7–7, Alabama broke on top on the first possession of the second half by driving 73 yards in 12 plays to a 19-yard field goal by Adam Griffith for a 10–7 lead with 9:00 left in the third period.

Three Tennessee scoring opportunities ended in missed field goals, a 43-yarder in the first quarter on the game's first series, a 51-yarder on the final play of the first half, and another 51-yarder with 14:06 left in the fourth period.

Alabama was dominant early, breaking out to a 10–0 lead in the second quarter on a 22-yard Adam Griffith field goal and Henry's two-yard scoring rush that came after a 40-yard run in which he fended off three would-be tacklers while rumbling deep into LSU territory.

Quarterback Brandon Harris hit wide receiver Travin Dural for a 40-yard touchdown pass and Trent Domingue followed with a 39-yard field goal to tie it.

The University of Alabama defense sacked Mississippi State (7–3 overall; 3–3 in the SEC) quarterback Dak Prescott nine times and Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry rushed for 204 yards and two touchdowns in a 31–6 victory over the Bulldogs before an overflow crowd of 62,435 at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field on Saturday.

Alabama's defense produced 12 plays for losses against a high-powered State offense, limiting the explosive Prescott to 14 rushing yards on 26 attempts and holding the Bulldogs out of the end zone for the first time in 36 games dating back to MSU's 2013 season opener.

After the Tide forced another CSU punt, Alabama capped its third possession with its third touchdown of the game, this one a 21-yard pass from Coker to wide receiver Richard Mullaney with 2:28 left in the opening quarter.

A 30-yard pass from Coker to wide receiver Calvin Ridley gave the Tide a 35–0 lead at 7:07 of the second quarter, capping an 86-yard drive and giving Alabama four touchdowns in four offensive possessions.

University of Alabama running back Derrick Henry rushed for 271 yards and a touchdown on a school-record 46 carries to lead the Crimson Tide (11–1 overall; 7–1 in the Southeastern Conference) to a 29–13 over the Auburn Tigers (6–6 overall; 2–6 in the SEC) Saturday afternoon before a capacity crowd of 87,451 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

In addition to Henry's heroics, Alabama's offense was keyed by an accurate passing performance by quarterback Jake Coker, who completed 17 of 26 attempts for 179 yards and a touchdown.

The Tide moved 55 yards in 5 plays to take the lead early in the second quarter, highlighted by a 46-yard pass from Coker to Ridley, who made an outstanding catch in double coverage at the Tiger 5.

Late in the first half, a 55-yard bomb from Coker to receiver Calvin Ridley took the ball to the Gator 3, setting up a two-yard touchdown run by Henry to put the Tide in the lead, 12–7, at halftime.

3 Michigan State Spartans (12–2) Thursday night in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in front of a crowd of 82,812 at AT&T Stadium (capacity: 71,815).

Meanwhile, Tide cornerback Cyrus Jones produced game-changing plays with an interception to stop an MSU scoring threat and a punt return for a touchdown that sealed the verdict.

Henry's touchdown run was his 24th, breaking the Southeastern Conference record for rushing TDs in a season (previously held by Auburn's Tre Mason in 2013 and Florida's Tim Tebow in 2006).

Alabama extended the lead to 17–0 on the opening drive of the second half, moving 75 yards in nine plays to pay dirt on a six-yard pass to Ridley along the sideline in the end zone.

Characteristic of Alabama, the offensive opening drive was slow and cautious but notable for utilizing Derrick Henry four times, a schematic change of pace from that of the Semifinal game against Michigan State.

However, on the next two Clemson possessions Deshaun Watson used his characteristic speed, agility, and elusiveness to sustain drives with a mixture of QB runs and fade routes against Alabama's top-ranked defense.

Characteristic of Alabama, facing third and long offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin enacted for extra field position on a punt with a short throw to Ridley rather than attempting a first down pass.

7 of Alabama's opponents were ranked in the final AP Poll (#2 Clemson, #6 Michigan State, #10 Ole Miss, #16 LSU, #21 Wisconsin, #22 Tennessee, #25 Florida).