Several schools accept won three civic titles in a abbreviate aeon of time – a lot of of the celebrated ability programs accept had at atomic one such run. But four titles amassed in a amount of seven years or less? That’s absolutely attenuate territory.Alabama is one bold from dispatch bottom into that realm.
Since the Associated Press poll came into accepting in 1936 and became the aboriginal nationally accustomed arbiter, alone Notre Dame has won four championships in seven seasons. That was from 1943-49 – a actual altered time than today.
For one thing, the final acclamation were conducted afore basin amateur were played. For another, the war years angry aggregate upside down – a part of the AP top 10 teams in ’43 were Iowa Navy Pre-Flight, Abundant Lakes Naval Training Station, Del Monte Pre-Flight and the East Hartford Wheelmen Club. And in the canicule afore television and with bound travel, how abounding teams did sports writers even see play? The aboriginal acclamation were abundant on bounded bent and apace assumption by voters.
Thus it’s accessible to say, with some confidence, that Alabama is abutting to commutual the greatest seven-year run in academy football history. If the Crimson Tide defeats best No. 1 Clemson, it could assemblage that bays on top of accouterments won in 2009, ’11 and ’12. And with a achievement actuality Monday, you could accomplish a abundant altercation that Nick Saban is the greatest drillmaster in the history of the game.
Some Southerners with continued memories will advance that Saban isn’t even the best drillmaster in the history of Alabama. But Bear Bryant never won four in seven seasons. Neither did Woody Hayes, Bud Wilkinson, John McKay, Tom Osborne, Bobby Bowden nor Joe Paterno. Alone Frank Leahy did at Notre Dame, and as discussed above, those were asinine times in the sport.
All told, this could be Saban’s fifth appellation in 13 seasons, traveling aback to the championship he won at LSU in 2003. Aback the appearance of the AP poll, alone Bryant has won that abounding titles – and his 5 were advance from 1961 through ’79.
So this absolutely is an unparalleled run – if the bold Monday ends with Alabama on top.
You can altercate that it’s easier to win a civic appellation now that four teams accept admission to it via the Academy Football Playoff. Ohio State couldn’t accept won the 2014 championship after the playoff format, and Urban Meyer would still be sitting on two titles instead of three.
But the playoff hasn’t accustomed Alabama annihilation it wouldn’t accept had in the Basin Championship Series days. The Crimson Tide was No. 1 traveling into endure year’s playoff and No. 2 this year. They would accept been in the championship bold both years if this were still a BCS format.
The one affair Alabama does not accept in this aureate era is a agglomeration of best seasons. There has alone been one, in 2009, if the Tide went 14-0 and exhausted Texas in the civic appellation game. The ’11 aggregation absent to LSU in the approved analysis afore accepting animus on the Tigers in the BCS championship, and the ’12 aggregation was agitated by Texas A&M and Johnny Manziel (in happier times for Johnny Football). This year’s team, of course, had to backlash from a September accident to Mississippi.
Bryant had three best seasons at Alabama – yet alone two of them concluded with civic titles. The 1961 aggregation was 11-0 and the ’78 aggregation went 12-0, while the ’66 Crimson Tide went 11-0 (with six shutouts) but was controversially snubbed by the pollsters in favor of 9-0-1 Notre Dame. In fact, the Tide accomplished No. 3 in the polls, abaft Notre Dame and Michigan State, which played to a acclaimed 10-10 tie in November. (That 1966 analysis would accept been a abundant time to accept a playoff.)
Today it would be extraordinary for a Southeastern Appointment aggregation to alpha the year No. 1, as ’Bama did in ’66, go best and accomplishment No. 3. The league’s authority has developed exponentially aback again – and it’s aswell gotten exponentially tougher.
That’s addition acumen why this Alabama run is so remarkable. It is accomplishing it adjoin the toughest antagonism in the nation, year-in and year-out. The Sagarin Ratings say the SEC has been the toughest appointment in 5 of the endure seven seasons, and it was No. 2 in the added two (2010 and ’11).
That’s why Alabama has been bloodied in the approved analysis six beeline years, accident at atomic one bold to an SEC West adversary anniversary analysis from 2010-15. But alone in 2010, if the Tide was an intolerable 10-3, did it bead added than one alliance contest. The affairs has artlessly banned to yield a aback seat, even in America’s a lot of difficult division.
Now Alabama is 60 account from bridge over from “ordinary” absolutism to something absolutely special. The Tide is on the border of advance from aristocratic to unprecedented, of affective from academy football’s gated association to establishing its own island. And Nick Saban would be continuing accept to accept with the Bear himself.
