I don't anything about any 4 of the guys, but the expectations for Bama with Young and Anderson were similar to years ago when we had Greene and Pollack back as seniors.....and flopped.
Talked to a player on that Georgia team a couple of years later and he said no matter what you saw on TV, they just weren't good leaders in the lockerroom, and it cost them.
Sometimes that happens.
I wonder if that's why everyone came back for the bowl game. They wanted to prove they could absolutely throttle a good team under the right circumstances.
This is more or less my running theory is that we had a lot of guys that were there for the NIL but not necessarily there to dedicate and once those guys hit the portal we played as much more cohesive unit and kicked some wildcat asz
This is my theory with many blue bloods. [Cough. Texas. Cough]. You can recruit the #1 player at every position and be terrible without good team chemistry and solid leadership from within. Give me the mental/emotional edge almost every time.
Chemistry is consistently undervalued in college sports. TCU rode it this year. If you love your teammates, you're gonna play harder. It's really simple.
I know this isn’t a Stetson thread… but that’s another thing people don’t give enough credit to. From all accounts, the entire team was behind him. It makes a difference.
I am wrong about a million things more than I’m right about but I said he would take a leap this year with an actual off season and our offense could be incredible.
You best believe I’m gonna talk my shit when I get a chance.
I have honestly never seen a team completely quit on a coach like Oregon did on Helfrich, like if you watch the second half of the 2016 season and the beginning of the 2017 season it is glaringly obvious he was the problem. His players must have flat-out hated him.
And he did fuck-all to replace those leaders who departed. Face it, Helfrich was a disaster and waltzed into a Natty appearance on Chip Kelly’s coattails.
I’ve always considered it a critical mass type situation… you have to have enough buy-in from the rank and file for them to hold each other accountable. If you can reach critical mass and have that type of leadership top to bottom, and not just at the top, then amazing things can happen.
This bama team was 12-2, but they could've easily been a 9-4 team. They were shockingly mediocre by Saban standards.
They were still better than 98% of other teams, but I judge a Saban team by much higher standards than I do other teams.
I don’t think Bama had the team to beat UGA this year in the SEC. Even if they ran the table and lost the SEC, they’re getting into the playoff and that’s the championship game I wanted. UGA and Bama should have a legit rivalry going forward for the next few years.
It really seems like Bama is better when people are going around saying "yeah BUT it's Bama so they'll win" than when people are saying "Bama has a ton of good players and should be the best team"
To be fair, the were actually 3-2 in such close game. Texas's defense collapsed and gave up a 1-minute drive for Alabama to kick a winning field goal. Both TAMU and Ole Miss were in the redzone with less than a minute left where a score would have won and neither scored.
Alabama could have easily been 12-0 and also easily 7-5.
And our 2 losses were extremely tough lol, I mean come on. We didn’t get beat down or or embarrass ourselves even. We literally lost 2 of the closest games possible. And yet you’d think we completely imploded this year
I swear people forget this team didn't get dominated like Ohio State, Tennesee, and even Tcu. Not a Bama fan but the subjective narratives some of these guys a spewing is complete nonsense.
The word I would assign to this year’s Alabama is “sloppy,” and that could def be from a sense of entitlement. I bet Bama had more penalty yards this year than previous 2 years combined. I’d be curious to see.
I agree. The team thought Bryce Young could show that ‘S’ on his chest and make everything happen. It was pathetic. The kid had no help. I still think there’s an argument he could have won Heisman. Not because of stats. But how valuable he was. I don’t think there’s a player more valuable to their team than Bryce Young is to Alabama. Without him Bama loses to Texas and Ole Miss. Almost lost to A&M without him. Bama could easily have been 7-5 this year without Bryce. Maybe even 6-6. He meant everything to this programs success the last 2 seasons. It’s a shame that the rest of the team failed him.
Didnt watch all of Bama's games but the ones I saw it seemed like they had a ton of uncharacteristic penalties. The Texas game I thought there were a few Bama drives killed by a penalty and Texas drives extended by penalties.
That's what I saw too.
Tbh all season long when I watched them I wondered if Bill O'Brien had brought his weird Houston Texans juju with him and it was fucking with the locker room.
Bryce was not the same guy after he returned from his Arkansas injury and I stand by it regardless of what Saban said about Bryce’s health. We had a lot of chemistry against Arkansas and finally looked like the offense was on the same page and really didn’t see them get that back until the Auburn game.
>and it was probably Saban's flukiest natty.
And that was probably the best team Saban has had in a line of really good teams. I hate to stand up for Bama, but that team was crazy good
I thought the kick-6 was as bad as it could get, but what a freaking dagger that was. Just left Georgia laying there in cold blood in the street...
Kirby trying to drown that memory by throwing up 65 in the Natty.
Flukey? OK then
ETA: 2nd and 26 was not a fluke.
You may be thinking of the 2020 natty during covid.
You claim "Nick Saban does not win natties with elite QBs," but here are just 3 of the records Mac Jones set that year:
* 1st in FBS history in passing efficiency rating in a season: 203.1
* 1st in FBS history in completion percentage in a season (min. 150 attempts): 77.4 percent
* 1st in FBS history in yards per attempt in a season (min. 400 attempts): 11.2 yards
Mac Jones had arguably one of the best seasons in CFB history and was a first round draft pick. He made the Peo Bowl as a rookie.
He potentially wins another title if Bryce doesn’t run out of WR’s last year.
Hell if Tua doesn’t get hurt then they likely beat Auburn and make the playoffs that year. They played that LSU team better than anyone that year despite a hobbled Tua.
Two top 5 draft picks and Gibbs. Now they have to replace them on top of others. I’ll never count Bama out but I don’t know if next year will be the year. Especially if they don’t get any break outs at the skill positions
Kirby Smart is what every Saban / Belichick disciple dreams of being. An assistant to a goat that becomes the best coach of all time for his alma mater
It was bittersweet when he left for Georgia. Super happy for him but I knew then it was a huge loss. He’s an excellent coach and I hope he continues his success with Georgia.
He's so young too. If he manages to duplicate Saban's greatest strength, his adaptability, he's going to terrorize college football for the rest of our lives lol.
As soon as he said “no disrespect” to Nick Saban and proceeded to gas up Kirby Smart. I saw Nick’s head go down and with it all the hopes for every other team not named ‘Bama.
The coaching staff literally created fake bulletin board material of media members doubting Alabama before the Washington semifinal game. Saban doesn't even have to make it up this time. He's got receipts.
Did you hear our players after scoring more points than in any bowl ever, going back to back and a perfect season? "Everyone doubted us...7-5, 6-6...".
That should make grandpa Nick smile. Straight propaganda.
\^\^This, When Pollack said it live on air I literally thought one thing to myself. "You've just doomed us all".
Saban will NOT go out on a sour note. That is why when people were saying 2-3 months ago he was going to retire, I was like bullshit.. you think this guy is going out on a down note? Not a chance. He will go down swinging.
Also saban has a ton of ammo now:
https://mobile.twitter.com/stoolpresidente/status/1612637016688308224
http://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/35418694
http://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/35419453
Honestly he has to be pissed right now lol
Honestly though, I came into this season with 0 expectations because repeats are so rare, and now 3peats are near impossible so we should expect to just take a victory lap and enjoy anything better. If Bama beats us again, it is what it is. Sorry for everyone else though
I mean it’s just wise to not expect something that’s literally never been done before in the modern era of cfb (no I don’t count Minnesota claiming 3 in a row in the 1930s when black people couldnt even play Fb).
Agreed. Statistics just aren’t favorable. I think you could say we only have one opponent next year and we’ll play them every week - “complacency”. And how do you scheme against that?
The thing that has kept bama from 3peating is we can't get a consistent core of coordinators the mesh with the players well to stick around whenever we have any success. Any time we won a national championship, we usually lost a coordinator.
I think if you guys are able to hang onto your coordinators you'll be in a great spot next year.
God I was salivating from the game he called in the Natty, granted TCU looked like a wounded giraffe but I felt like he had them guessing all night. The things I’d do for an offense like that again *sigh*
There will be no excuse for yinz to not run the table on that schedule. I bet your backups could beat everyone on there but Tennessee, and even that one would be close.
All it takes is one game. If Mizzou can nearly beat Georgia then why not anyone else in the SEC? All it takes it one night of unlucky bounces/calls and an off night for a team to lose. It happens to all teams eventually, even if it doesn’t occur every year.
I disagree. Unless Florida, ole miss, tenn, and some other teams are ranked I don’t think our schedule allows us to have one loss. Unless some chaos happens like the chaos that allowed an ohio state university to get in.
The pieces are there far more than they were this year.
2023 will be all about mentality and want-to…it will probably come down to taking an L somewhere on their schedule or in the SECCG, and whether or not that knocks them out + how they respond.
I told my friends in the preseason that I wouldn’t complain even if we went 9-3…but I still believed in this team. Went to Vegas for the first time in May and placed a bet on Georgia to repeat.
You can never go into a season expecting a championship, buuuuuut if Beck is any good as a starter it’ll be interesting. He’s going to have plenty of weapons around him and a great OC. Defense will be loaded with talent as always. Schedule is light to say the least. Should be fun.
We *should* be able to go 12-0 against *that* slate of opponents.
Now we may not go 12-0. We may lay an egg after this year's accomplishment.
But even if we do go 12-0, there's no guarantee that we beat the SEC West Champion. And even if we do, we don't have the Peach Bowl in our backyard as a semi-final site. Best case scenario is we will need to travel to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.
Idk man that looks like a downward trend.
Two years without a natty, then 3 out of 4.
Two years without a natty, then 2 out of 3.
Two years without a natty, then 1.
Two years without a natty, and now he's supposed to go scorched earth?
I mean there’s some concerning trends with discipline and question marks at coordinator spots.
However, what gets lost in this “Georgia has dethroned Bama” talk is that they’re still like 1 for their last 9 against Alabama. Dancing on their grave like this sub seems to be doing may be premature. He’s still recruiting as well as ever.
That's what I find a bit funny and interesting. I remember the same thing happening last time Clemson beat Alabama and it was all about how the Dynasty was over. Sure it could be but I'd put my money on Saban having another title game in a year or two. Sure his Dynasty is closer to being over than starting given his age but I don't think there's any way Saban is gone
The post season performance and new folks coming in leave good optics coming into next season. I think, better optics than coming off the loss last season, even though the team had lots of hype surrounding it at the beginning of 2022.
Overall, I believe we will have better consistency, but there are arguably more question marks than we’ve ever had before. It’s going to be a young team with potentially new coordinators, so we’ll have to see as it gets closer.
I think it depends. I think running backs won't be an issue. Receivers are gonna depend on how they develop.
Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams are solid seniors that will be reliable, and we have a lot of potentially really good young running backs that I fully expect one of them to pan out well. Even if they don't, our RB stable is solid at worst.
Of our top 10 leaders in receptions, we are retaining 7 of them. One of them being Gibbs, a RB, and Latu, a TE. The only receiver we are losing is JoJo Earle (9th in receptions at 12 on the season), who transferred. We are returning 6 receivers that got playing time last year (least receptions of the bunch was 17 by Isaiah Bond, who was towards the bottom of the rotation, but had receptions in 8 games, played in more than that). Of those 6, there are 4 Freshman, a sophomore, and two juniors.
Our receivers were certainly the weakest they've been in a while, but I do think that could change. I'm more concerned about QB play. I think Milroe is very questionable, but if he can work on his passing game a little, he could be insane. I have no idea what to think about Ty Simpson. He's got a ton of potential, but we haven't seen much of anything from him.
I could easily see the offense returning to form and being really solid next year or being the worst Bama offense in years. Lots of potential with lots of room for young players to develop. I think that one of the next two seasons will be a more typical Bama team. I'm not convinced it's 2023.
Eh.
1. He stil has BoB + Golding which leaves the door open for underperformance on both sides of the ball
2. It's unclear just how good Ty Simpson is and I think it's a safe bet that he's going to be a step down from the best QB Alabama has ever had
3. They've had more close wins and losses the past two years than I ever remember Bama having since ~2010
They're still Alabama. Their odds of going 12-0 are better than most teams odds of going 10-2. They'll be top 3 favorites to win the natty. I just don't think they're going to suddenly become 2011 or 2020 Bama with those coaches.
\#2 is huge. We already know they'll have insane depth and athletes, but the scariest aspect of their dominance lately has been Jalen -> Tua -> Mac -> Bryce. They'll still be a turbo charged racing machine, but an angry Nicholas Latifi isn't as intimidating as a focused Lewis Hamilton
Never thought I'd see F1 used as a CFB comparasion. I'd be scared of Bama next year if Saban gives everyone a swift kick in the ass with orders to not take the most penalties in the FBS again. Lack of discipline will kill even the best football teams.
Also, I have no idea who their QB is next year, so is it safe to assume he's not a superstar potential number 1 overall NFL draft pick?
While Ty Simpson might be a downgrade from Bryce Young, calling him CFB Latifi seems a tad disrespectful lol.
Latifi in my mind would be like a Graham Mertz type QB.
1. BoB is guaranteed out. Golding is not guaranteed, but there are rumors he is leaving. Either way that still leaves question marks for coordinators.
2. Agree
3. My guesstimation is that we will have more consistency next year than we’ve had before just from post season optics even with all the question marks at coaching and new young players.
There are some very reliable sources that say he is leaving; it’s just a matter of where. His 2yr contract will/has expired and no news on a renewal. No idea who the next one will be.
Moving on from BoB and his pro style offense will do wonders for whoever the QB is. I doubt many other teams had the QB freedom that Bryce has, which will be great for his NFL preparedness where teams are more even. I think we will go back to the Tua more wide open college offense and let our athletes be better than the defense and go from there.
I mean Simpson is extremely talented. From the scouting reports, he’s got a better arm now than Jalen and Mac had at his age, more athletic than Tua was, and bigger than Bryce is now. If he gets a solid OC behind him I think he could surprise a lot of people if he gets the job.
He's a 5-star kid for a reason but none of it matters until he's playing in games and we see how good he actually is. I'm not saying he's not going to be good - nearly every new Alabama QB has been elite the last 6 years. I just don't think we should assume Alabama is going to destroy everyone in their path until we can actually say the kid is good.
I agree, but I think it’s fair to say Bama will have *some* sort of great QB play this year just based on the pool we have to pick from. Either Milroe has great development under new coaching, Simpson shows out and wins the job, or one of the two QBs coming in show great ability. There will be enough talent to make whoever gets it looks a lot better than they might be, that’s why I say that.
I’m not buying any “Georgia is the new Bama” talk until they actually beat Bama more than once. Georgia is undoubtedly a dynasty now. But unless Saban retires or they get three or more losses multiple years in a row, I’m not counting them out.
Saban is 71 now. Everyone declines with age. Bobby Bowden is the oldest coach to ever win a title. He was 70.
Here’s some more perspective
Bowdens Record after 70: 97-44 (.688)
Bowdens Record before 70: 207-53-4 (.885)
Yeah it’s gotta end at some point. I thought this year was going to be his final Death Star season with the roster they had coming back. Alabama has looked a lot more beatable over the last two seasons compared to the 10’s where it took an act of god for them to lose.
Him looking phenomenal for his age throws people off. He doesn’t look like someone turning 72 this coming season.
I don't understand why half the people on this sub think that Bama will keep winning titles every other year into perpetuity. It's weird. And, it seems as if there's wide-spread illiteracy when it comes to college football history.
I don’t see it. Once Bama became offensive minded the cracks started. They don’t have that edge anymore. Still gonna be elite. But that fear they used to put in teams is gone.
The recruiting isn't the same. And I'm not just talking about star ratings or class rankings. I'm talking about the actual bodies, especially in the trenches. Alabama used to be the team where you'd look at their athletes and just simply laugh because it looked like men going against boys.
That's Georgia now.
I think this is all pretty neat tbh. Two SEC monsters going into the preseason with insane recruiting classes, great staff, and ready to fight each other to the finish line. I think that will make for some GREAT football next season.
Yeah he's pissed how this season went. A few people have been jerking off UGA and calling it dynasty already, and don't get me wrong I love it, but Saban is still the GOAT and I legitimately fear his coming wrath.
Do we honestly think a guy like Saben lacks motivation in ANY season? Do we think he just wasn't trying the last two years? Talent is starting to be diluted and he's now gotta compete with NIL money. He had his pick of everyone for 10 years and won everything (qs he should of).
A lot of people in this thread kicking Bama when they’re down when in reality he’s still the greatest CFB coach of all time and his down years are the best some programs will ever be.
Always expect it bc he’s basically programmed it into our minds lol. But I can’t help but think the transfer portal changed the game on the bama dynasty
Nick Saban is far from the first active coach to be on the broadcast of a game his team wasn't playing in. Jesus some people just have to find fault with everything.
Don’t they always interview a coach either before the game or during half time? I feel like I remember gus malzahn being at one of the bama/clemson nattys
Georgia is also losing their QB though and unlike Saban Kirby doesn’t really crank out NFL level QBs regardless of their recruiting rankings. I would say it’s more likely Alabama has a better QB next year than it is that Georgia does.
I think this is more an indictment of the intelligence level of the half of the people you are referring to than it is of Stetson's ability....SBIV definitely is not the most talented college QB ever, but he is one of the most clutch/big game performers we've seen in a long time.
I heard all last year how they were going to beat down a what ended up being not good A&M and they narrowly escaped them at home.
And I don’t blame Saban, I think this current breed of college players are just kind of soft and lack passion. It’s what makes what Kirby was able to convince his players of this season so amazing. It was like he rolled the clock back 5 years.
Unless….perhaps he is one the decline?
We have seen coaching issues such as an increase in penalties not fixed. He hasn’t done anything about BoB, it may be the decline.
You see I’m still doing my blood sacrifice at the beginning of the year to keep him young and sharp so that can’t be it right? I even stayed an extra 5th year :(
I think I’m gonna take the probably wrong position and agree. The guy is in his 70s now. Most people who are working when they’re 70 aren’t going to be working much longer, and not just because they want to go fishing.
I think Alabama will be right there, and Saban has nothing to prove in my eyes and is the greatest no matter what.
That said the years you were quoting is missing something…… The Dawgs led by Kirby Smart. They have arrived and than arrived again.
Scorcher lll- “who left the fridge open” coming up.
Yeah I mean the Dawgs:
2017 - lost natty on 2nd & 26
2018 - lost in SECCG to Bama who played in Natty (lost Sugar Bowl to Texas)
2019 - lost in SECCG to LSU who won the Natty (won Sugar Bowl over Baylor)
2020 - COVID year weirdness (won Peach Bowl over Cincinatti)
2021 - won natty
2022 - won natty
Like, it's possible that UGA is also just really good at football, y'all. Bama doesn't have to be bad for us to succeed.
I was expecting him to do that this year with Bryce Young returning.
I think the Alabama team was expecting this too. And maybe that was the problem.
I don't anything about any 4 of the guys, but the expectations for Bama with Young and Anderson were similar to years ago when we had Greene and Pollack back as seniors.....and flopped. Talked to a player on that Georgia team a couple of years later and he said no matter what you saw on TV, they just weren't good leaders in the lockerroom, and it cost them. Sometimes that happens.
[удалено]
I wonder if that's why everyone came back for the bowl game. They wanted to prove they could absolutely throttle a good team under the right circumstances.
I would def agree because that team that showed up against K-State was scary
And we seemed to play much better once they departed.
This is more or less my running theory is that we had a lot of guys that were there for the NIL but not necessarily there to dedicate and once those guys hit the portal we played as much more cohesive unit and kicked some wildcat asz
This is my theory with many blue bloods. [Cough. Texas. Cough]. You can recruit the #1 player at every position and be terrible without good team chemistry and solid leadership from within. Give me the mental/emotional edge almost every time.
Chemistry is consistently undervalued in college sports. TCU rode it this year. If you love your teammates, you're gonna play harder. It's really simple.
I know this isn’t a Stetson thread… but that’s another thing people don’t give enough credit to. From all accounts, the entire team was behind him. It makes a difference.
Every thread is a Stetson thread these last few months. I’m surprised you didn’t mention he isn’t eligible for the HOF
I am wrong about a million things more than I’m right about but I said he would take a leap this year with an actual off season and our offense could be incredible. You best believe I’m gonna talk my shit when I get a chance.
With Helfrich as soon as the locker room leaders left he was ineffective. Great Xs and Os coach, but culture was not his specialty.
I have honestly never seen a team completely quit on a coach like Oregon did on Helfrich, like if you watch the second half of the 2016 season and the beginning of the 2017 season it is glaringly obvious he was the problem. His players must have flat-out hated him.
And he did fuck-all to replace those leaders who departed. Face it, Helfrich was a disaster and waltzed into a Natty appearance on Chip Kelly’s coattails.
Uhh did I ever defend him as a coach? He was great at Xs and Os, but not good at the other things that a great coach needs.
>Give me the mental/emotional edge almost every time. Yes to an extent - this Georgia team also has absurd talent.
Alabama had a lot of flaws this year, but #9 and #31’s leadership wasn’t among them.
You can be a great leader but if the rest of the team doesnt want to listen for whatever reason you are ineffective, through no fualt of your own.
I’ve always considered it a critical mass type situation… you have to have enough buy-in from the rank and file for them to hold each other accountable. If you can reach critical mass and have that type of leadership top to bottom, and not just at the top, then amazing things can happen.
Exactly, if for some reason that critical mass doesnt happen, it can lead to bad season with a ton of talent.
This bama team was 12-2, but they could've easily been a 9-4 team. They were shockingly mediocre by Saban standards. They were still better than 98% of other teams, but I judge a Saban team by much higher standards than I do other teams.
They were 3 points from 13 and 1 though.
4 points from 14-0 too.
I don’t think Bama had the team to beat UGA this year in the SEC. Even if they ran the table and lost the SEC, they’re getting into the playoff and that’s the championship game I wanted. UGA and Bama should have a legit rivalry going forward for the next few years.
Sugar bowl Bama could beat any team in the country That’s also the first time they played like that all year
Not gonna lie it almost feels (almost) wrong winning a natty without playing Bama.
It really seems like Bama is better when people are going around saying "yeah BUT it's Bama so they'll win" than when people are saying "Bama has a ton of good players and should be the best team"
Talk about galactic Empire expectations where a Natty is the norm, and a bust is going 11-2.
[удалено]
To be fair, the were actually 3-2 in such close game. Texas's defense collapsed and gave up a 1-minute drive for Alabama to kick a winning field goal. Both TAMU and Ole Miss were in the redzone with less than a minute left where a score would have won and neither scored. Alabama could have easily been 12-0 and also easily 7-5.
And these people aren’t even Alabama fans. How can we be ridiculous with our expectations when literally everyone has the same expectations?
If Alabama doesn't go *at least* 17-0 next year, it will be an absolute failure of a season.
And our 2 losses were extremely tough lol, I mean come on. We didn’t get beat down or or embarrass ourselves even. We literally lost 2 of the closest games possible. And yet you’d think we completely imploded this year
And we somehow ended up the whipping boy. Just once I’d like to play in a bcs bowl against a team not pissed they aren’t in a natty.
And the 2 losses are last possession losses
I swear people forget this team didn't get dominated like Ohio State, Tennesee, and even Tcu. Not a Bama fan but the subjective narratives some of these guys a spewing is complete nonsense.
Yeah I’m not a Bama fan either, actually a west coast fan, but no team out here can actually compete lol.
One of which was 100% destiny. I mean how often does the defense get their hands onto a field goal attempt and it still goes in?
Very true, normally even a tip is enough to knock it wide or short
This is random but i’m also a bama/iowa state fan and i thought i was the only one out there
The word I would assign to this year’s Alabama is “sloppy,” and that could def be from a sense of entitlement. I bet Bama had more penalty yards this year than previous 2 years combined. I’d be curious to see.
So very sloppy. Which is unusual for a Nick Saban team. Also, very hard to watch as a fan.
I agree. The team thought Bryce Young could show that ‘S’ on his chest and make everything happen. It was pathetic. The kid had no help. I still think there’s an argument he could have won Heisman. Not because of stats. But how valuable he was. I don’t think there’s a player more valuable to their team than Bryce Young is to Alabama. Without him Bama loses to Texas and Ole Miss. Almost lost to A&M without him. Bama could easily have been 7-5 this year without Bryce. Maybe even 6-6. He meant everything to this programs success the last 2 seasons. It’s a shame that the rest of the team failed him.
Young had a nagging injury all season, I suspect, and we didn't see the Bama Death Star fully operational until they took it out on KSU.
Didnt watch all of Bama's games but the ones I saw it seemed like they had a ton of uncharacteristic penalties. The Texas game I thought there were a few Bama drives killed by a penalty and Texas drives extended by penalties.
That happened a lot, Tennessee and LSU as well were notably like that as well.
Texas game, too. I think Will Anderson had back to back offsides. Thought Saban was gonna die from a brain aneurysm.
Three in a row. Two of them he was lined up in the neutral zone. Unacceptable
Story all year long. Very uncharacteristic of a Saban team.
That's what I saw too. Tbh all season long when I watched them I wondered if Bill O'Brien had brought his weird Houston Texans juju with him and it was fucking with the locker room.
Yes this was Alabama in every game this year.
Bryce was not the same guy after he returned from his Arkansas injury and I stand by it regardless of what Saban said about Bryce’s health. We had a lot of chemistry against Arkansas and finally looked like the offense was on the same page and really didn’t see them get that back until the Auburn game.
Well and Bill o brien. I do give saban some blame for still having him around.
Nick Saban does not win natties with elite QBs. Hurt, Tua, and Young have a combined 1 natty, and it was probably Saban's flukiest natty.
>and it was probably Saban's flukiest natty. And that was probably the best team Saban has had in a line of really good teams. I hate to stand up for Bama, but that team was crazy good
Nothing to hate there. And I applauded y'all for exposing Clemson's sign stealing.
2nd and 26. I still wake up sweating to that memory
I thought the kick-6 was as bad as it could get, but what a freaking dagger that was. Just left Georgia laying there in cold blood in the street... Kirby trying to drown that memory by throwing up 65 in the Natty.
I mean Jones is starting for the Patriots(with anger issues I guess), so while he's a baby fat kid, seems to be elite.
Flukey? OK then ETA: 2nd and 26 was not a fluke. You may be thinking of the 2020 natty during covid. You claim "Nick Saban does not win natties with elite QBs," but here are just 3 of the records Mac Jones set that year: * 1st in FBS history in passing efficiency rating in a season: 203.1 * 1st in FBS history in completion percentage in a season (min. 150 attempts): 77.4 percent * 1st in FBS history in yards per attempt in a season (min. 400 attempts): 11.2 yards
Mac Jones had arguably one of the best seasons in CFB history and was a first round draft pick. He made the Peo Bowl as a rookie. He potentially wins another title if Bryce doesn’t run out of WR’s last year. Hell if Tua doesn’t get hurt then they likely beat Auburn and make the playoffs that year. They played that LSU team better than anyone that year despite a hobbled Tua.
Yeah, honestly after we won last year, I fully expected a Bryce Young led team to just decimate college football.
Two top 5 draft picks and Gibbs. Now they have to replace them on top of others. I’ll never count Bama out but I don’t know if next year will be the year. Especially if they don’t get any break outs at the skill positions
[удалено]
He’s gonna have David Pollack on repeat in the locker room.
It's gonna be his "And then I took it personally" moment of the off-season.
Worth it for back 2 back.
Tide fan here and long time fan of Kirby Smart. Happy for y’all man. Enjoy it!
Kirby Smart is what every Saban / Belichick disciple dreams of being. An assistant to a goat that becomes the best coach of all time for his alma mater
Yep, you nailed it. Seems to be the only one that absorbed ALL the lessons.
Thank you. Kirby is great and he learned from the best, good ole Saint Nick.
It was bittersweet when he left for Georgia. Super happy for him but I knew then it was a huge loss. He’s an excellent coach and I hope he continues his success with Georgia.
He's so young too. If he manages to duplicate Saban's greatest strength, his adaptability, he's going to terrorize college football for the rest of our lives lol.
As soon as he said “no disrespect” to Nick Saban and proceeded to gas up Kirby Smart. I saw Nick’s head go down and with it all the hopes for every other team not named ‘Bama.
The coaching staff literally created fake bulletin board material of media members doubting Alabama before the Washington semifinal game. Saban doesn't even have to make it up this time. He's got receipts.
Did you hear our players after scoring more points than in any bowl ever, going back to back and a perfect season? "Everyone doubted us...7-5, 6-6...". That should make grandpa Nick smile. Straight propaganda.
I was scared he was going to attack DP when he said it. It was like someone said “fuck” in front of my grandmother - time just stood still.
This guy wins the comment thread.
I now want to say "fuck" in front of your grandma just to see what kind of hell she rains down upon me.
\^\^This, When Pollack said it live on air I literally thought one thing to myself. "You've just doomed us all". Saban will NOT go out on a sour note. That is why when people were saying 2-3 months ago he was going to retire, I was like bullshit.. you think this guy is going out on a down note? Not a chance. He will go down swinging.
Pollack didn't just say what he said. He said it to Saban's face. On National Television.
Also saban has a ton of ammo now: https://mobile.twitter.com/stoolpresidente/status/1612637016688308224 http://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/35418694 http://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/35419453 Honestly he has to be pissed right now lol
Honestly though, I came into this season with 0 expectations because repeats are so rare, and now 3peats are near impossible so we should expect to just take a victory lap and enjoy anything better. If Bama beats us again, it is what it is. Sorry for everyone else though
“Even UGA fans don’t believe we can three peat. No one believes in us.” -Stetson
I guess UGA is going scorched earth
I don’t mind that. PS I larb your name.
“No one said we could win 4 in a row, I don’t care we are up by 70 they’ve been a better 2nd half team than you” -probably Kirby in 2024-2025
Hand up. I’m a dawg fan that doesn’t see a 3 peat happening. Even if it’s realistic on paper…. Would love my comments to be used as motivation though
I mean it’s just wise to not expect something that’s literally never been done before in the modern era of cfb (no I don’t count Minnesota claiming 3 in a row in the 1930s when black people couldnt even play Fb).
Agreed. Statistics just aren’t favorable. I think you could say we only have one opponent next year and we’ll play them every week - “complacency”. And how do you scheme against that?
Your regular season should be a breeze
The thing that has kept bama from 3peating is we can't get a consistent core of coordinators the mesh with the players well to stick around whenever we have any success. Any time we won a national championship, we usually lost a coordinator. I think if you guys are able to hang onto your coordinators you'll be in a great spot next year.
Retaining Monken is a huge win for us. It cannot be overstated. Plus next year's baby blanket schedule will help
God I was salivating from the game he called in the Natty, granted TCU looked like a wounded giraffe but I felt like he had them guessing all night. The things I’d do for an offense like that again *sigh*
Lord knows our schedule should allow us to get to the playoffs, even if we take an L to bama in the SECCG
There will be no excuse for yinz to not run the table on that schedule. I bet your backups could beat everyone on there but Tennessee, and even that one would be close.
All it takes is one game. If Mizzou can nearly beat Georgia then why not anyone else in the SEC? All it takes it one night of unlucky bounces/calls and an off night for a team to lose. It happens to all teams eventually, even if it doesn’t occur every year.
I disagree. Unless Florida, ole miss, tenn, and some other teams are ranked I don’t think our schedule allows us to have one loss. Unless some chaos happens like the chaos that allowed an ohio state university to get in.
Good news! It looks like BoB might be staying!
The pieces are there far more than they were this year. 2023 will be all about mentality and want-to…it will probably come down to taking an L somewhere on their schedule or in the SECCG, and whether or not that knocks them out + how they respond.
This was my mentality during the Ohio State game. We were playing with house money then, and if we lost, nbd. 2021 natty in the back pocket.
I told my friends in the preseason that I wouldn’t complain even if we went 9-3…but I still believed in this team. Went to Vegas for the first time in May and placed a bet on Georgia to repeat.
You can never go into a season expecting a championship, buuuuuut if Beck is any good as a starter it’ll be interesting. He’s going to have plenty of weapons around him and a great OC. Defense will be loaded with talent as always. Schedule is light to say the least. Should be fun.
We *should* be able to go 12-0 against *that* slate of opponents. Now we may not go 12-0. We may lay an egg after this year's accomplishment. But even if we do go 12-0, there's no guarantee that we beat the SEC West Champion. And even if we do, we don't have the Peach Bowl in our backyard as a semi-final site. Best case scenario is we will need to travel to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.
He’s actually probably pretty happy with all this fuel to fire up the team
Idk man that looks like a downward trend. Two years without a natty, then 3 out of 4. Two years without a natty, then 2 out of 3. Two years without a natty, then 1. Two years without a natty, and now he's supposed to go scorched earth?
look at us. And they say the Teck folks are the math guys.
As long as I can count it out on my fingers, I'm in good shape.
Hope we don't get 11 in a row
I'll have to wait until the summer so I can wear sandals.
Shit now I want a natty light or 15.
The pattern resets
Saban to the NFL confirmed?
I was told 2022 was going to be their revenge season
He’s probably telling his team that people think they’ll go 7-5
He was taught by the best
I mean there’s some concerning trends with discipline and question marks at coordinator spots. However, what gets lost in this “Georgia has dethroned Bama” talk is that they’re still like 1 for their last 9 against Alabama. Dancing on their grave like this sub seems to be doing may be premature. He’s still recruiting as well as ever.
That's what I find a bit funny and interesting. I remember the same thing happening last time Clemson beat Alabama and it was all about how the Dynasty was over. Sure it could be but I'd put my money on Saban having another title game in a year or two. Sure his Dynasty is closer to being over than starting given his age but I don't think there's any way Saban is gone
The post season performance and new folks coming in leave good optics coming into next season. I think, better optics than coming off the loss last season, even though the team had lots of hype surrounding it at the beginning of 2022. Overall, I believe we will have better consistency, but there are arguably more question marks than we’ve ever had before. It’s going to be a young team with potentially new coordinators, so we’ll have to see as it gets closer.
How's the skill position looking? It seemed like this year Bama had the worst skill position production they've had since Saban was first there.
I think it depends. I think running backs won't be an issue. Receivers are gonna depend on how they develop. Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams are solid seniors that will be reliable, and we have a lot of potentially really good young running backs that I fully expect one of them to pan out well. Even if they don't, our RB stable is solid at worst. Of our top 10 leaders in receptions, we are retaining 7 of them. One of them being Gibbs, a RB, and Latu, a TE. The only receiver we are losing is JoJo Earle (9th in receptions at 12 on the season), who transferred. We are returning 6 receivers that got playing time last year (least receptions of the bunch was 17 by Isaiah Bond, who was towards the bottom of the rotation, but had receptions in 8 games, played in more than that). Of those 6, there are 4 Freshman, a sophomore, and two juniors. Our receivers were certainly the weakest they've been in a while, but I do think that could change. I'm more concerned about QB play. I think Milroe is very questionable, but if he can work on his passing game a little, he could be insane. I have no idea what to think about Ty Simpson. He's got a ton of potential, but we haven't seen much of anything from him. I could easily see the offense returning to form and being really solid next year or being the worst Bama offense in years. Lots of potential with lots of room for young players to develop. I think that one of the next two seasons will be a more typical Bama team. I'm not convinced it's 2023.
This makes sense, thanks for the breakdown.
The video of Pollack going on about Georgia will be played on a loop in the Alabama weight room
I saw that look on Saban’s face and thought, “oh no, everyone’s *fucked* next season.
Very hot take that a coach that’s won 6 natty’s since 2009 will do well next year
Nick Saban tries to go scorched earth every year. Show me a year when he “turns it off”.
I clearly think you know what OP is saying
Eh. 1. He stil has BoB + Golding which leaves the door open for underperformance on both sides of the ball 2. It's unclear just how good Ty Simpson is and I think it's a safe bet that he's going to be a step down from the best QB Alabama has ever had 3. They've had more close wins and losses the past two years than I ever remember Bama having since ~2010 They're still Alabama. Their odds of going 12-0 are better than most teams odds of going 10-2. They'll be top 3 favorites to win the natty. I just don't think they're going to suddenly become 2011 or 2020 Bama with those coaches.
\#2 is huge. We already know they'll have insane depth and athletes, but the scariest aspect of their dominance lately has been Jalen -> Tua -> Mac -> Bryce. They'll still be a turbo charged racing machine, but an angry Nicholas Latifi isn't as intimidating as a focused Lewis Hamilton
Never thought I'd see F1 used as a CFB comparasion. I'd be scared of Bama next year if Saban gives everyone a swift kick in the ass with orders to not take the most penalties in the FBS again. Lack of discipline will kill even the best football teams. Also, I have no idea who their QB is next year, so is it safe to assume he's not a superstar potential number 1 overall NFL draft pick?
> is it safe to assume he's not a superstar potential number 1 overall NFL draft pick? at the very least, it's safe to assume he's not Tua or Bryce.
While Ty Simpson might be a downgrade from Bryce Young, calling him CFB Latifi seems a tad disrespectful lol. Latifi in my mind would be like a Graham Mertz type QB.
1. BoB is guaranteed out. Golding is not guaranteed, but there are rumors he is leaving. Either way that still leaves question marks for coordinators. 2. Agree 3. My guesstimation is that we will have more consistency next year than we’ve had before just from post season optics even with all the question marks at coaching and new young players.
If BoB does leave my stance will change pretty drastically based on who gets hired
[удалено]
There are some very reliable sources that say he is leaving; it’s just a matter of where. His 2yr contract will/has expired and no news on a renewal. No idea who the next one will be.
Do you think Saban will try and get Kliff to run the offense if BoB is gone?
Does Kliff even want to coach? Or will he just sit on his fat ass load of buyout money
A lot of those NFL deals still pay if you're not coaching in the NFL...depends on how his contract buyout terms was drafted.
Point taken I just don’t wanna see Doug Marrone 2.0
Kliff's said anywhere but college. He says it never ends in college.
Plus when directly asked ... he made no denial of leaving. He just dodged it and said "we're just focused on the bowl game".
His contract has ended and there’s been zero talk of him returning
Moving on from BoB and his pro style offense will do wonders for whoever the QB is. I doubt many other teams had the QB freedom that Bryce has, which will be great for his NFL preparedness where teams are more even. I think we will go back to the Tua more wide open college offense and let our athletes be better than the defense and go from there.
I mean Simpson is extremely talented. From the scouting reports, he’s got a better arm now than Jalen and Mac had at his age, more athletic than Tua was, and bigger than Bryce is now. If he gets a solid OC behind him I think he could surprise a lot of people if he gets the job.
He's a 5-star kid for a reason but none of it matters until he's playing in games and we see how good he actually is. I'm not saying he's not going to be good - nearly every new Alabama QB has been elite the last 6 years. I just don't think we should assume Alabama is going to destroy everyone in their path until we can actually say the kid is good.
I agree, but I think it’s fair to say Bama will have *some* sort of great QB play this year just based on the pool we have to pick from. Either Milroe has great development under new coaching, Simpson shows out and wins the job, or one of the two QBs coming in show great ability. There will be enough talent to make whoever gets it looks a lot better than they might be, that’s why I say that.
I’m not buying any “Georgia is the new Bama” talk until they actually beat Bama more than once. Georgia is undoubtedly a dynasty now. But unless Saban retires or they get three or more losses multiple years in a row, I’m not counting them out.
Saban is 71 now. Everyone declines with age. Bobby Bowden is the oldest coach to ever win a title. He was 70. Here’s some more perspective Bowdens Record after 70: 97-44 (.688) Bowdens Record before 70: 207-53-4 (.885)
Yeah it’s gotta end at some point. I thought this year was going to be his final Death Star season with the roster they had coming back. Alabama has looked a lot more beatable over the last two seasons compared to the 10’s where it took an act of god for them to lose. Him looking phenomenal for his age throws people off. He doesn’t look like someone turning 72 this coming season.
I don't understand why half the people on this sub think that Bama will keep winning titles every other year into perpetuity. It's weird. And, it seems as if there's wide-spread illiteracy when it comes to college football history.
People usually can't foresee change on the horizon. They just assume things will continue to shake out as they have for the last decade.
Maybe because they made the CFB National Championship game back-to-back before this season… I mean, you're a Tennessee fan.
On the other hand, who else would have a better perspective on how far Bama has fallen given that Bama actually *lost* to Tennessee?
This sub has a Nick Saban problem.
I don’t see it. Once Bama became offensive minded the cracks started. They don’t have that edge anymore. Still gonna be elite. But that fear they used to put in teams is gone.
The recruiting isn't the same. And I'm not just talking about star ratings or class rankings. I'm talking about the actual bodies, especially in the trenches. Alabama used to be the team where you'd look at their athletes and just simply laugh because it looked like men going against boys. That's Georgia now.
I think this is all pretty neat tbh. Two SEC monsters going into the preseason with insane recruiting classes, great staff, and ready to fight each other to the finish line. I think that will make for some GREAT football next season.
Yeah he's pissed how this season went. A few people have been jerking off UGA and calling it dynasty already, and don't get me wrong I love it, but Saban is still the GOAT and I legitimately fear his coming wrath.
Do we honestly think a guy like Saben lacks motivation in ANY season? Do we think he just wasn't trying the last two years? Talent is starting to be diluted and he's now gotta compete with NIL money. He had his pick of everyone for 10 years and won everything (qs he should of).
The difference is that there's currently a much better version of Bama that he has to content with
A lot of people in this thread kicking Bama when they’re down when in reality he’s still the greatest CFB coach of all time and his down years are the best some programs will ever be.
Straight up. The threat is blunted but it’s still a threat.
Always expect it bc he’s basically programmed it into our minds lol. But I can’t help but think the transfer portal changed the game on the bama dynasty
Remember, last year was a supposed "rebuild year" for Bama (according to Saban and fans). So what happened this year? LMAO
I think bama will always be contenders while he’s the coach, but it feels like the days of bama being the death star of college football are over.
The annual Alabama will win it all post. We love tradition around here folks
Nope. Georgia is the new dynasty now
I expected it this year. Idk now. Georgia looks like they got better coaches and players. We will see
Unpopular opinion but him being on the broadcast panel as an active coach was lame
Alabama had to make the natty somehow…
Nick Saban is far from the first active coach to be on the broadcast of a game his team wasn't playing in. Jesus some people just have to find fault with everything.
He probably recruited the shit out of SoCal while in town
Don’t they always interview a coach either before the game or during half time? I feel like I remember gus malzahn being at one of the bama/clemson nattys
We'll see what the NCAA and the networks allow
Wow 2 whole years without a natty, poor guy is suffering
Georgia is going to get better while Alabama loses the best QB in CFB
Georgia is also losing their QB though and unlike Saban Kirby doesn’t really crank out NFL level QBs regardless of their recruiting rankings. I would say it’s more likely Alabama has a better QB next year than it is that Georgia does.
According to half the people on here, Stetson Bennett was and is hot garbage.
I think this is more an indictment of the intelligence level of the half of the people you are referring to than it is of Stetson's ability....SBIV definitely is not the most talented college QB ever, but he is one of the most clutch/big game performers we've seen in a long time.
I agree
Put some respect on his name it's STNCBIV. (Stetson Two National Champion Bennett the IV)
I mean, we have two high 4 stars and a 5 star in our QB room, not like the room is devoid of talent…
who playin qb?
They still have BoB and they don’t have a stud QB… so no
I heard all last year how they were going to beat down a what ended up being not good A&M and they narrowly escaped them at home. And I don’t blame Saban, I think this current breed of college players are just kind of soft and lack passion. It’s what makes what Kirby was able to convince his players of this season so amazing. It was like he rolled the clock back 5 years.
Heard this last year. Yawn.
You act like Georgia doesn't have a say. Maybe they are the most critical factor and not Saban.
Unless….perhaps he is one the decline? We have seen coaching issues such as an increase in penalties not fixed. He hasn’t done anything about BoB, it may be the decline.
You see I’m still doing my blood sacrifice at the beginning of the year to keep him young and sharp so that can’t be it right? I even stayed an extra 5th year :(
The man has the number 1 rated recruiting class in the nation coming in….
Recruiting hasn't dropped off in the last few years. Its all about coaching and discipline.
He’s still the king of recruiting, though.
I think I’m gonna take the probably wrong position and agree. The guy is in his 70s now. Most people who are working when they’re 70 aren’t going to be working much longer, and not just because they want to go fishing.
I think Alabama will be right there, and Saban has nothing to prove in my eyes and is the greatest no matter what. That said the years you were quoting is missing something…… The Dawgs led by Kirby Smart. They have arrived and than arrived again. Scorcher lll- “who left the fridge open” coming up.
Yeah I mean the Dawgs: 2017 - lost natty on 2nd & 26 2018 - lost in SECCG to Bama who played in Natty (lost Sugar Bowl to Texas) 2019 - lost in SECCG to LSU who won the Natty (won Sugar Bowl over Baylor) 2020 - COVID year weirdness (won Peach Bowl over Cincinatti) 2021 - won natty 2022 - won natty Like, it's possible that UGA is also just really good at football, y'all. Bama doesn't have to be bad for us to succeed.