In the chase of conference foe Alabama, the SEC has gotten weaker, says Gary Danielson.

The CBS analyst appeared on The Opening Drive on WJOX in Birmingham on Thursday and broke down the SEC for the upcoming season.

"Top to bottom, the whole league is wondering 'have we may be gone down the wrong course with our program as we try to tool our programs to compete with Alabama or beat Alabama,'" Danielson told WJOX. "I think a lot of the teams in the league they need to go up tempo, more finesse, need a more scrambling running quarterback because - in reality - there has been some success against Alabama with hot mobile quarterbacks beating them.

"Top to bottom, the league's fundamentals have gotten a little weaker. I don't think they play solid football week-in and week-out."

He cited the Auburn Tigers as a prime example.

"I think Gus Malzahn is realizing that if you put too much of your program around one player - the quarterback - with the running game and the passing game, then everything is decided by scoring. I think Auburn is a reflection of that around the league, that if that guy isn't 'the guy' it's really tough to win."

With that said, Danielson, who is entering his 12th season covering the SEC, called Auburn "a major player in the league this year."

He said he has one major question, though.

"Gus' offense is unique in what it does," he explained. "And what it does well is blend with a running quarterback. That's when they run the ball the best, when they have the threat of a running quarterback.

"Jarrett Stidham and Sean White might be the best quarterback combo in the league. It is a great 1-2 punch, but neither of them fit Gus' track record of what makes this offense go. The proving point for me is can they run the ball effectively without a threat of a running quarterback."

This week, Malzahn named Stidham Auburn's starting quarterback.

"Auburn needs more balance to be what they want," he said. "(Then they can) deal with Alabama at the end."

Speaking of the Tide, which opens the season against Florida State in Atlanta, Danielson gives the nod in the game to Nick Saban's Alabama team.

"I think it's a pick 'em game," Danielson said. "Florida State, there's nothing that Jimbo Fisher's talent on his team can't face, but overall I'm going to take Nick is this game because he has had his teams ready to play coming out of the box in these big games. They're used to it, and I think they're going to be ready to play."

In doing so, the Tide will go back to an offense that is more Alabama, he says.

"Alabama's going to get back to being what they want to be," Danielson said. "A lot of it was out of necessity last year with Jalen Hurts. He couldn't run the whole offense so they ran the offense he could run. Obviously, if they may three more first downs they're going to win a national championship with the defense they had."

"I thought they really got away from who they were as Alabama. It's not 'can you run the ball when you want to run the ball,' it is 'can you run the ball when you have to run the ball.' And Alabama was always able to do that. Last year's team couldn't.

"I think with (Alabama offensive coordinator Brian) Daboll, he's going to get back to those little boots, he's going to stretch the field, throw those slants and play action like back when (Greg) McElroy was playing quarterback and AJ McCarron was playing quarterback. I thought last year, it didn't look to me like the normal Alabama team. Very effective, obviously, but I think they're going to get back more to their roots and more protecting their defense so there's not anymore of those games where they play 99 plays."

Check out the full interview here.