You do know that those five star recruits have to get coached and needs some games to get in a groove right? That goes for Alabama as well.
There's a difference. When you have substantially better talent than everyone else, you can afford to play most anyone and still win off pure talent /athleticism, WHILE you work out the kinks. Alabama playing the bottom Big 10/Big 12 etc team isnt too far off from a Big 10/Big 12 team playing La. Tech or So. Miss.
Plus just from a perspective of the entirety of college football, alot of kids pick La Tech or So Miss just so they can have that 1 chance each yr to play an Oklahoma or Alabama or Florida St. That's their Super Bowl so to speak. Not to mention those games fund a huge portion of their athletic programs.