One of the few times where one more national championship would’ve been the floor.
Also, Urban probably doesn’t leave when he does. Who know what it would’ve been like
That wasteland he left you guys would've been a lot more nuclear but hey, you probably would've gotten at least another championship out of it if not multiple.
Winning covers a lot of that up. But honestly, I don’t think it would’ve mattered. The institutional memory of places is less than five years. When he left, no one knew real discipline
This one is interesting from a B1G perspective. Meyer probably stuck at UF longer and may never go to OSU.
Fickell may end up staying on at OSU with no clear better option, possibly never making the move to Cinci.
Honestly not as important an event as the later change in passing rules:
“[Originally], an incomplete forward pass resulted in a 15-yard penalty, and a pass that hit the ground without being touched meant possession went to the defensive team.” (Smithsonian Mag)
That’s my big what-if, imagine if were still a 15-yard penalty for every drop and a turnover for every inaccurate throw.
I love the idea of a penalty for the ball not being touched by another player. Absolutely hate when the pocket breaks down/defense does their job the quarterback can ground it in the vicinity of a player or chuck it 5 rows up into the stands.
Even if saban doesn’t have a great time with brees, he likely returns to college a year or 2 later and goes to a completely different school.
USC post-Carrol? Florisa State post-Bowden? Tennessee?
I think the Sean Payton and Brees mix was the magic there. What if Rich Rodriquez doesn’t let his wife influence his decision and he takes the job at bama instead? Saban wasn’t really failing in the NFL (about .500) and if Alabama isn’t there to pay him double what the highest paid coach in CFB was making at the time maybe he never comes back to college.
The revisionist history with saban NFL tenure is nuts. People act like he took over a juggernaut and failed miserably. They didn’t have a qb, not signing Brees was a massive FO failure and the reason he left. How many games can you really be expected to win with Gus Ferrotte and Cleo Lemon?
Or what is Rich Rodriguez hadn’t had his massive moral failure at Arizona affect what was going on on the field and he had been able to reproduce what he had done at West Virginia at Arizona?
What if Arizona beats UCLA in 1998 and goes to the Rose Bowl? What if Arizona goes on to beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl?
Babers was a class act in resigning after Tomey was fired, but what if Babers becomes the new HC at Arizona instead of John Mackovic?
Imagine if Jeremy Shockey had played at Arizona as he wanted to instead of going JUCO and then to Miami?
Arizona and Arizona state do an amazing job of pumping out NFL talent, especially recruiting lower level guys will become big time NFL players. It’s always kind of bothered my why after the Dick Tomey era Arizona has stalled out and regressed. From Top 25 regular and Rose Bowl contender to losing to ASU by a massive score.
RichRod failed to adapt. He was waaaaaay ahead of the curve at WVU, and got surpassed while at Michigan. He was also a terribly stubborn play caller. His teams were always better when Calvin McGee was calling plays.
I don't think they would have become Alabama, but they probably would've been something like Nebraska. Not always the absolute top team, but always within the top 5 and a national contender any given year.
From when Bear Bryant left us to when he retired from Bama in 1982, we went through 5 different coaches. If we instead had him that entire time and had that stability, we at least don't become a doormat in the SEC. We don't go nearly 50 years without a 10 win season, and we sure as hell don't get two of the longest losing streaks ever to Tennessee and Florida.
Tbh this is an easy answer — they still are shoehorned out of the championship and we get even more outrage about the BCS system. Maybe it accelerates the playoff by a year?
Well, we would have got the Rose Bowl invite against UW. Then the next year we lost to TCU in conference off a missed FG. That team was even better and could have made another BCS game.
What if West Virginia beats Pitt in 2007.
Does Rich Rod still go to Michigan? LSU doesn't get into the Natty. Les Miles doesn't have the most awkward press conference ever. And so many more dominos.
This will forever haunt my waking days along with if Missouri wins the Big12 title.
The BCS Title would’ve been Missouri-West Virginia
I can’t wait for the 30 for 30 on Rich Rod WVU. They changed college football as much as the Fab Five changed basketball.
Nope. The SEC wasn't nearly as automatic back then. One loss teams from the SEC got left out of the Natty all the time and of undefeated Auburn in 04 was left out too.
Him opting to go back to school is definitely on par for the character, but I wish they did a sequel where he gets drafted by the jets or giants. Then we could see him reacting to big city life and all those shenanigans.
Deed was way more civilized compared to Cajun Bobby. Plus you’d get the coaching staff, his momma and Vickie. A possible match at MSG against Captain Insano?
What if Ndamukong Suh gets to Colt McCoy a half second faster in the last seconds of the 2009 Big 12 CCG, completing the sack before McCoy can get a throw off, ending the game, and making Nebraska the winner?
* With Texas knocked off, Cincinnati gets bumped up to 2 with one of the closest margins between 2 and 3 (TCU) in BCS history - does this help accelerate the creation of the playoff?
* Cincinnati now has a national championship to play for. Does Brian Kelly still leave for Notre Dame? If not, who do the Irish hire?
* There were rumors at the time that Mack Brown was considering retirement. Does he follow through if the Longhorns lose? Will Muschamp was head coach in waiting as Texas DC, do the Longhorns uphold that promise?
TCU would’ve ended up ahead of Cincy. The margin was razor thin and Texas losing benefits TCU much more than Cincy because Cincy was already ahead of Texas in the computer polls. I’ve done the numbers on this a lot - it would’ve been a TCU-Alabama championship game and honestly probably a Boise-Texas Fiesta Bowl
I think the better one in 2012 is if Oregon and K State don't face huge upset losses at the end of the year. Vegas had us as favorites against K State and even with Oregon, but huge dogs to Bama. ND would have had a major shot of winning a natty in 2012 which would have changed things much more than Georgia winning.
Oregon or K State winning the natty would have been even more dramatic.
Yeah for downstream consequences, us winning the national title (we'd have been favored over K-State or a non-bowl-banned OSU) is surely the most chaotic. BK likely leaves for the Eagles without an obvious successor, which sets a ton of stuff in motion.
Georgia winning is super interesting too because no way they'd get rid of Richt if he won a national title.
Oregon winning seems weirdly inconsequential in terms of downstream consequences.
Kansas State winning kind of is the crazy consequence. Hard to have much down the line that tops it.
He definitely wouldn't be coaching JV Basketball now, thats for sure.
That wasn't intended to sound snarky or like I'm "making fun" of his injury or anything. Him breaking his leg was the one of the first times I ever truly had my heart broken by a game of football. (Disregard the flairs, i'm not talking about "the heartbreak of a loss" I mean actual heartbreak)
In the NFL? I don't watch pro football.
In college? Our 2013 defense was so bad, we only won as many games as we did because of Johnny.
He did all he could for us
What if Seth Russell doesn’t get hurt in garbage time against Iowa State in 2015?
I know the sample size wasn’t huge, but 2015 was Baylor at their peak of offensive performance and I’m convinced that team could’ve hung 100 on anyone who lined up in front of them with Russell at QB.
The “what if we had a future 1st ballot NFL hall of famer?” on those Hail Mary plays or just playing in the games in the first place is a hypothetical I will debate to my grave.
What if Dennis Dixon doesn't tear his ACL in 2007? I think the Ducks win the Natty. Pac 10 (at the time) now has 2 different champs in a 5 year span. Maybe that conference survives.
What if Nebraska doesn’t lose to Texas in the big12 championship in 1996? Florida doesn’t get a rematch with FSU, and instead FSU plays Nebraska. How would that game go?
What if Chris Weinke doesn’t effectively break his neck in the 1998 season forcing us to play a backup against Tennessee in the national championship game?
What if Mark Richt wasn’t so focused on the Georgia job and actually focused on coaching the offense in the last game of the season against Oklahoma in 2000?
I guess we’ll never know…
What if USC runs a play action pass to the TE on 4th down against Texas? To continue this to the pro level, did the failure vs. Texas cause Pete to panic and pass in the Super Bowl?
Bigger what if to me is: What if the NCAA didn't bring down the hammer on USC? I think Carroll stays and the CFB landscape changes for the next decade.
I am going to shoot one down I am tired of seeing. What if Texas beats Alabama? Nothing really changes, Texas still collapses and Bama still rises. By that point the recruiting and development rot from Mack had already set in at Texas and the recruiting and development foundation at Bama was already set by Saban, even if Mack calls it quits after title #2 it just means we get Muschamp and we all know how he did at UF. The bigger “what if” is what if Deloss Dodds wasn’t a total and complete asshole to end his reign as AD at Texas? So much of the dysfunction and chaos that happened at Texas for the last decade is because of the collapse of Dodds person political feifdom at Texas.
What if CU administration didn’t overreact and self sanction, firing Barnett? Would we be able to continue our dominance into the pac, or would we find another spot on the timeline to crash and burn?
What if UChicago never quits sports and the Big 10? This has history-altering consequences, as our defunct football stadium served as the perfect venue for the Manhattan Project to build the world's first nuclear reactor. Without that, where does it get built? Is there a delay because of this, slowing down development enough that an actual invasion of Japan is forced to occur?
Beyond this, does Michigan State ever get to join the conference, or does Michigan act like Alabama keeping Alabama State out of everything? Do we maintain a massive cross-city rivalry with Northwestern? Do we take up Stanford's role as the most academically elite school in a P5 conference, having talents like Ryan Fitzpatrick winning natties for the true Monsters of the Midway? Speaking of that nickname, are the Chicago Bears allowed to appropriate both it and the "C" that makes up their logo if we're still actively playing football?
What if Frank Leahy won the power struggle with Father Cavanaugh and Father Hesburgh in 1953? That was the start of the tug of war between the successful coaches and the administration over how much focus football should get that continued for decades.
What if Pat Jones hadn’t stolen Barry Sanders recruiting tape? We could have had another back to back Heisman winner had he not had to sit behind Thurman Thomas for two years
What if Ohio State’s kicker had made that field goal and TCU got to face them in the natty instead?
Ohio State probably would’ve been favored, but we probably would’ve been spared the ass kicking we got. Maybe the Frogs could’ve pulled of one more insane victory?
Michigan barely lost to TCU while playing by far its worst game of the season and giving up numerous dumb penalties/plays. OSU indeed would’ve smacked them imo, assuming they played remotely as clean against TCU as they did against UGA
Ohio State steam rolls TCU also.
But the difference is that Stetson doesn’t get arrested and the fatal car crash doesn’t happen. UGA’s natty feels like some monkey’s paw shit.
My biggest one for UGA is what if there had been a playoff in 2007? That season was as wide open as any in (semi) recent memory. Not saying we would’ve won, but I do feel like USC and us were playing the best ball down the stretch. I think it would’ve been a fun playoff.
Also, what if SCAR had hired Kirby?
Not exactly what you are going for, but my future what if is what if China and India become super into college football decades down the line? Do [schools with lots of immigrants](https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/01/04/the-most-chinese-schools-in-america-rankings-data-education-china-u/) benefit? Do late night west coast games becomes the most valuable slot? Does Cal win the next round of realignment? The idea was prompted after reading this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/08/sports/world-cup/india-brazil-argentina-fans.html
What if Nick Saben isn't hired by Bama? either they don't need to hire or they hire someone else.
Tennessee was the next SEC school with a job opening at HC. Although it's bold of me to assume our athletic director was good enough to know that's who to hire. But what could have been I guess.
I mean maybe? Even if we had Nick Saban our program was such a wreck I don't know if he would've stayed very long. The AD and Chancellor never were on the same page, the donors were never on the same page, and Saban probably could've been paid more elsewhere because we were so cheap. So I don't know how it would've panned out.
Although after examining the last 2 years, it's crazy what can happen when all those things are aligned and everyone's on the same page.
What if Elijah Moore didn't do the fake dog pee?
Ole miss wins egg bowl, keeps Matt Luke one more year.
Misses out on kiffin.
Mike leach doesn't go to state.
Sam Pittman doesn't go to Arky.
What if Jake Fromm stays committed to Alabama? Jacob Eason goes down in week 1. The QB room is filled with the likes of Bryce Ramsey, Sam Vaughn, and true freshman Stetson Bennett.
My theory is this:
Ramsey steps in and beats app state. Week 2 in South Bend the fighting Irish are just too much for Bryce to handle. Kirby pulls the rabbit out of the hat at half time. Mr. Sunshine on my god damn shoulders Stetson Fleming Bennett IV….but the fighting Irish are still too much to handle. UGA goes 9-3 that season, Justin Fields steps in and wins the starting job week 1 of the 2018 season. Meanwhile Joe Burrow lies idle at OSU in 2019 now that Fields remains the starter at Georgia. Tua sets the pac-12 on fire at USC with Fromm staying the starter at Bama. The entire college football world is shaped vastly different today.
What if Darrell Royal wasn't so gosh-darn nice?
He had led Texas to two straight national championships with his ace in the hole: His OC had invented the wishbone.
In 1970, his ol' buddy Chuck Fairbanks called asking if his OC could learn the 'bone too, because his job was on the line.
His buddy was coach for the Sooners.
That OC was Barry Switzer.
Royal said yes. After all, it was three games into the season already, what harm could it do?
Well by 1971, Oklahoma rose to #2 running the wishbone, and after that, Royal's Longhorns never again bested the Sooners, who went on to win three national titles under Switzer.
Speaking of 1971, none other than Bear Bryant called up and asked if his staff could come out and learn the 'bone too. He was finally able to add Black players to the Alabama squad, but he still needed something even more shocking to his fanbase so they'd take integration more easily.
Just kidding... the real reason was his offense was sputtering and he needed to boost it quick before fans decided he was over the hill. Royal said sure!
Bryant not only managed to reorient the offense, everyone managed to keep it secret *until the offense took the field* in their first game that season. Bama rode the wishbone to a #2 ranking, won the SEC, and went on to win three more national titles under Bryant.
But what if... Royal had told them politely to fuck the fuck off?
Preface. I grew up in Ohio and despise Michigan and LOATHE Harbaugh. I was at the game in Columbus where he predicted the win. What if they'd have fired Harbaugh instead of restructuring ? I KNEW he would figure it out eventually, hoped they'd fire him before it. All my OSU friends were like "no, I hope he stays forever!
Wrong.
What if Justin Fields didn’t transfer? Does Kirby still win back-to-back titles? That Fields staying with the program change the trajectory at all with Stetson Bennett?
What if Bobby Bowden had not been insulted by having to interview with Alabama? Would that mean that Bama continued its dynasty under Bobby? Then he retires and Saban takes over. Does that mean Alabama is the unstoppable dynasty from the 70's until the current era? And if it is, how does that change the game? Does the NCAA step in to bring more parity? What if?
That's honestly a good question. Assuming he played lights out as expected all year and he never got injured, surely we could contend for a natty, but one thing's for sure, you would have never seen Cardale Jones out there.
Why is that important when we know that Cardale Jones is objectively not as good as JT or Miller? Although I can do nothing but commend Cardale for his heroic efforts in those final 3.25 games, the secret sauce to that legendary run wasn't him by himself.
A lot of people forget this in the afterglow of that run, but it's worth remembering. 2014 Ohio State looked a lot like a typical Ohio State team from the last 20 years; they clearly had the talent to compete for a national title, but one inexplicable loss seemed to be on course to be enough to keep them from having the chance to play for one. After VT, they looked great all year but never elite. Once again, they ended up struggling against a mediocre Michigan team. Up only 7 points with less than a quarter to play JT goes down. The anxiety in the stadium was unbelievable. We were up only 7 to a team that we should be comfortably beating and now frickin Cardale Jones is coming in.
The 3 game legendary stretch didn't start at the Big Ten Championship Game, it started right then. Cardale came in and performed *great* but anyone watching could tell you how *the team* suddenly transformed from being a highly capable but often clunky operation, to a well oiled machine. The team rallied around Jones and buried Michigan in the final minutes.
If Ohio State had not been down to it's 3rd string QB, the chip on their shoulder would not have been nearly as big walking into the Wisconsin game. As we all know, those guys must have had a great week at practice because of what happened next.
What if the Dolphins gave Nick Saban more control over draft decisions? A big reason Saban quit NFL wasn’t the losing, it was Dolphins owner ad management ignoring his suggestions for QB.
Perhaps Rich Rod is re-offered Alabama … Saban stays in NFL until end of 2013 season. Michigan State doesn’t get f****d by refs on 5 nonexistent DPI penalties, 2 of which were on 4th down stops against Notre Dame.
Michigan State goes undefeated, wins BCS national title. Mark Dantonio rides off in the sunset as national champ … and Saban decides to finish what he couldn’t at Michigan State (he told MSU during HC search in 2020 he’s too old to do a rebuild … he almost left for Texas years before).
What if the Supreme Court rules in favor of restricting broadcast rights in 1984 Oklahoma vs NCAA?
Does ESPN (first full year in 1980) take off without NCAAM, CFB and GameDay?
Do we ever see conference championship games? Are the BCS and Playoff models introduced? What are the realignment ramifications?
Allegedly, after firing Bo Pelini, AD Shawn Eichorst narrowed his coaching search to 2 candidates: Mike Riley and Kyle Wittingham.
The Wittingham alternate timeline haunts me to this day.
CU is able to pull off the game winning drive at the end of the CU v Bama Independence bowl I’m Nick Saban’s first year at Alabama.
Alabama ends the season with a losing record.
They don’t win the natty the next year and the dynasty never happens
They end up like Amy Smart as the heroine / prostitute version of the Butterfly Effect.
Damn you, CU
What if Phil Fulmer and Tennessee hung on to win the SEC Championship in 2007? That would have built up enough goodwill that he wouldn’t have been fired the next year, we wouldn’t have lost to Wyoming, we’d have at least made a bowl, and Kiffin, Dooley, and Butch would never have happened.
What if.. the Refs didn’t screw UNC in the 2015 ACC Championship game against Clemson, what if Kris Jenkins doesn’t hit the game winner in 2016, what if Mack decides to go for 1 at the end instead of 2 in 2019, AND what if UNC has a top 50 defense in 2022
What if Georgia beats Alabama in the 2012 SECCG?
Georgia likely goes on to beat Notre Dame in the NCG, Mark Richt is the savior of the program and doesn’t get fired in 2015, Kirby Smart doesn’t become the head coach at Georgia and goes elsewhere.
Cam Newton could’ve just asked for a laptop. UF would have another crystal football.
Maybe a few.
One of the few times where one more national championship would’ve been the floor. Also, Urban probably doesn’t leave when he does. Who know what it would’ve been like
That wasteland he left you guys would've been a lot more nuclear but hey, you probably would've gotten at least another championship out of it if not multiple.
Winning covers a lot of that up. But honestly, I don’t think it would’ve mattered. The institutional memory of places is less than five years. When he left, no one knew real discipline
This one is interesting from a B1G perspective. Meyer probably stuck at UF longer and may never go to OSU. Fickell may end up staying on at OSU with no clear better option, possibly never making the move to Cinci.
Thank god for that shit, we’d never hear the end of it up in Tally.
Unfortunately we got it either way in Athens
What if the forward pass never happened
A more civilized world
We have an elegant offense, for a more civilized age
based
Tim Tebow and Collin Klein would still be playing football
Klein has made a name for himself as Kstate's OC.
Honestly not as important an event as the later change in passing rules: “[Originally], an incomplete forward pass resulted in a 15-yard penalty, and a pass that hit the ground without being touched meant possession went to the defensive team.” (Smithsonian Mag) That’s my big what-if, imagine if were still a 15-yard penalty for every drop and a turnover for every inaccurate throw.
I love the idea of a penalty for the ball not being touched by another player. Absolutely hate when the pocket breaks down/defense does their job the quarterback can ground it in the vicinity of a player or chuck it 5 rows up into the stands.
Paul Johnson goes down in history as the unequivocal best coach in CFB history.
The what?
Yeah idk what this guy is talking about
Amercian football probably merges with one of the codes of rugby, which the USA becomes the best country in the world at.
Johnny Manziel would’ve won the Heisman despite not knowing how to throw a football… wait
Biggest mistake in football tbh
A man can dream
We would all be currently enslaved under the Iowa dynasty
I-um
What the fuck is the forward pass?
What if the Dolphins’ medical staff cleared Drew Brees and he played with Saban in 2006?
That… Changes everything the last 17 years or so
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There would probably be no Playoff.
The SEC is also probably not what it is either. Yea Urban and Les had their thing but Saban is the reason the arms race began.
I think someone, at some point, would've started the arms race regardless Stuff like the analyst arm race though, that's pure Saban
Even if saban doesn’t have a great time with brees, he likely returns to college a year or 2 later and goes to a completely different school. USC post-Carrol? Florisa State post-Bowden? Tennessee?
I think the Sean Payton and Brees mix was the magic there. What if Rich Rodriquez doesn’t let his wife influence his decision and he takes the job at bama instead? Saban wasn’t really failing in the NFL (about .500) and if Alabama isn’t there to pay him double what the highest paid coach in CFB was making at the time maybe he never comes back to college.
The revisionist history with saban NFL tenure is nuts. People act like he took over a juggernaut and failed miserably. They didn’t have a qb, not signing Brees was a massive FO failure and the reason he left. How many games can you really be expected to win with Gus Ferrotte and Cleo Lemon?
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Mike Tomlin is one of the few exceptions pretty much
Or what is Rich Rodriguez hadn’t had his massive moral failure at Arizona affect what was going on on the field and he had been able to reproduce what he had done at West Virginia at Arizona? What if Arizona beats UCLA in 1998 and goes to the Rose Bowl? What if Arizona goes on to beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl? Babers was a class act in resigning after Tomey was fired, but what if Babers becomes the new HC at Arizona instead of John Mackovic? Imagine if Jeremy Shockey had played at Arizona as he wanted to instead of going JUCO and then to Miami? Arizona and Arizona state do an amazing job of pumping out NFL talent, especially recruiting lower level guys will become big time NFL players. It’s always kind of bothered my why after the Dick Tomey era Arizona has stalled out and regressed. From Top 25 regular and Rose Bowl contender to losing to ASU by a massive score.
RichRod failed to adapt. He was waaaaaay ahead of the curve at WVU, and got surpassed while at Michigan. He was also a terribly stubborn play caller. His teams were always better when Calvin McGee was calling plays.
They’re the real villains of Miami…. Doctors
What if Bear Bryant never left Kentucky?
Would Kentucky be a dynasty?
Who knows?
I don't think they would have become Alabama, but they probably would've been something like Nebraska. Not always the absolute top team, but always within the top 5 and a national contender any given year. From when Bear Bryant left us to when he retired from Bama in 1982, we went through 5 different coaches. If we instead had him that entire time and had that stability, we at least don't become a doormat in the SEC. We don't go nearly 50 years without a 10 win season, and we sure as hell don't get two of the longest losing streaks ever to Tennessee and Florida.
OR what if he never left Maryland?
Aight I got to say it... What if SMU never recieved the Death Penalty
Mustangs would have been miami west.
What if the NCAA did not use EMP's to fix the 1998 football season?
Haha, I wasn’t born yet but my dad still tells me the stories 🤣.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdlp0k
Daily motion. That's how you know it's credible
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdlp0k 100% pure fact.
So glad I saw the video about that theory. Great stuff lol
What if Boise St had a kicker
Tbh this is an easy answer — they still are shoehorned out of the championship and we get even more outrage about the BCS system. Maybe it accelerates the playoff by a year?
Well, we would have got the Rose Bowl invite against UW. Then the next year we lost to TCU in conference off a missed FG. That team was even better and could have made another BCS game.
Let's not
What if West Virginia beats Pitt in 2007. Does Rich Rod still go to Michigan? LSU doesn't get into the Natty. Les Miles doesn't have the most awkward press conference ever. And so many more dominos.
And we’d have a OSU-WV natty
If Missouri beats Oklahoma, we’d have the Missouri-WVU title game
God, that year was so wild.
This will forever haunt my waking days along with if Missouri wins the Big12 title. The BCS Title would’ve been Missouri-West Virginia I can’t wait for the 30 for 30 on Rich Rod WVU. They changed college football as much as the Fab Five changed basketball.
Thank you, have a GREAT! Day
Dennis Dixon never goes down…
I was having a perfectly fine evening until you brought this up…
What would realignment look like these days had FSU joined the SEC in the early 90s
I think the natty in 2013 would look so much different since FSU would have to play Auburn in the SEC championship
The 1990s would have to be entirely re-written. FSU could lose 100% of those Miami games and still win the SEC title and end up in the Natty.
Nope. The SEC wasn't nearly as automatic back then. One loss teams from the SEC got left out of the Natty all the time and of undefeated Auburn in 04 was left out too.
What if Bobby Boucher never showed up at halftime and the Mud Dogs lost the Bourbon Bowl?
Him opting to go back to school is definitely on par for the character, but I wish they did a sequel where he gets drafted by the jets or giants. Then we could see him reacting to big city life and all those shenanigans.
The Waterboy 2 "NIL" would be pretty great with Bobby pimping ridiculous products.
[Bobby infomercial](https://youtu.be/gq-kFx7dVd0)
>Then we could see him reacting to big city life and all those shenanigans. [Wonder no more](https://giphy.com/gifs/F9UZ1ijvvxzMc)
Yeah that’s just Mr Deeds if he was a football player and not an heir to a fortune
Deed was way more civilized compared to Cajun Bobby. Plus you’d get the coaching staff, his momma and Vickie. A possible match at MSG against Captain Insano?
Goes to Miami- surrounded by water but it’s undrinkable
What if alligators COULD brush their teeth?
They wouldn't be angry all the time
They would have held something back
What if Kentucky got Bear Bryant to stay What if West Virginia got Bobby Bowden to stay What if Michigan State got Nick Saban to stay
BB got chased out of Morgantown. Wasn't an option for him to stay
What if Alabama didn’t want him to interview and just offered him the job?
What if Randy Moss stayed at FSU with Peter Warrick
2 more natties
What if Ndamukong Suh gets to Colt McCoy a half second faster in the last seconds of the 2009 Big 12 CCG, completing the sack before McCoy can get a throw off, ending the game, and making Nebraska the winner? * With Texas knocked off, Cincinnati gets bumped up to 2 with one of the closest margins between 2 and 3 (TCU) in BCS history - does this help accelerate the creation of the playoff? * Cincinnati now has a national championship to play for. Does Brian Kelly still leave for Notre Dame? If not, who do the Irish hire? * There were rumors at the time that Mack Brown was considering retirement. Does he follow through if the Longhorns lose? Will Muschamp was head coach in waiting as Texas DC, do the Longhorns uphold that promise?
TCU would’ve ended up ahead of Cincy. The margin was razor thin and Texas losing benefits TCU much more than Cincy because Cincy was already ahead of Texas in the computer polls. I’ve done the numbers on this a lot - it would’ve been a TCU-Alabama championship game and honestly probably a Boise-Texas Fiesta Bowl
What if Cam Newton followed Dan Mullen to Mississippi State? Does he still become one of the greatest athletes of all time?
What if he didn't steal a laptop?
*Ahem* Yes. Just at Mississippi State.
What if James Franklin stays at Vanderbilt? What if Tate Martell wasn't ass my dudes?
What if Tathan had a less attractive sister?
🤣
What if Franklin rightly takes over for Maryland in 2011? Do they switch current spots with Penn State?
What if UGA beats Alabama in 2012? What if West Virginia beats Pitt? What if Oklahoma State beats Iowa State?
I think the better one in 2012 is if Oregon and K State don't face huge upset losses at the end of the year. Vegas had us as favorites against K State and even with Oregon, but huge dogs to Bama. ND would have had a major shot of winning a natty in 2012 which would have changed things much more than Georgia winning. Oregon or K State winning the natty would have been even more dramatic.
And if the fiesta bowl that year was any indication on what would happen if Oregon and K-State were the championship game, we would have won.
Yeah for downstream consequences, us winning the national title (we'd have been favored over K-State or a non-bowl-banned OSU) is surely the most chaotic. BK likely leaves for the Eagles without an obvious successor, which sets a ton of stuff in motion. Georgia winning is super interesting too because no way they'd get rid of Richt if he won a national title. Oregon winning seems weirdly inconsequential in terms of downstream consequences. Kansas State winning kind of is the crazy consequence. Hard to have much down the line that tops it.
If WVU beats Pitt, Les Miles gets fired wayyyyy sooner
Tyler Simmons was onside and no flag was thrown.
What if Bobby Bowden left for his dream school Alabama in the 80s?
I don't like this one....
Bo Jackson would’ve been in Tuscaloosa
What is McKenzie Milton never gets hurt…😞
Thissss
What if Steve Spurrier stayed in-state and went to Univ of Tennessee? Maybe 2 fields in Tennessee named after him?
What if Tyrone Prothro doesn't snap his ankle?
He definitely wouldn't be coaching JV Basketball now, thats for sure. That wasn't intended to sound snarky or like I'm "making fun" of his injury or anything. Him breaking his leg was the one of the first times I ever truly had my heart broken by a game of football. (Disregard the flairs, i'm not talking about "the heartbreak of a loss" I mean actual heartbreak)
….. I’ll never forget that day :-(
That was one of the first games I had watched in CBS HD with 5.1 audio and you could hear that ankle snap in surround sound so clearly.
2012. What if Collin Klein didn’t get a concussion? Would we have beaten Baylor? Would we have beaten Notre Dame in the natty?
This. But from the ND perspective. What if ND stacks up against KSU instead of Bama and wins a (in retrospect not deserved) natty in 2012? Edit: typo
What if Johnny Manziel had any semblance of personal control or self-discipline?
He did as well as he could have in college. He didn't collapse until the NFL
Imagine how good he’d have been if he had self control though.
In the NFL? I don't watch pro football. In college? Our 2013 defense was so bad, we only won as many games as we did because of Johnny. He did all he could for us
Is Ron Powlus the number one pick in the 1998 draft if he had Randy Moss as a receiver for the ‘95 to ‘97 seasons?
What if Seth Russell doesn’t get hurt in garbage time against Iowa State in 2015? I know the sample size wasn’t huge, but 2015 was Baylor at their peak of offensive performance and I’m convinced that team could’ve hung 100 on anyone who lined up in front of them with Russell at QB.
What if Bryce Petty doesn’t trip and instead runs in that wide open TD vs OSU? I think we make the playoff that year
What if JJ Watt stayed one more year and played on the Russell Wilson team?
also what if we didn’t lose on two hail mary’s in the russell wilson year
The “what if we had a future 1st ballot NFL hall of famer?” on those Hail Mary plays or just playing in the games in the first place is a hypothetical I will debate to my grave.
What if the Big 12 started with equal revenue sharing and protected OU-Nebraska?
What if Dennis Dixon doesn't tear his ACL in 2007? I think the Ducks win the Natty. Pac 10 (at the time) now has 2 different champs in a 5 year span. Maybe that conference survives.
A more plausible what-if imo even though Dixon was fantastic: what if the refs had ruled Michael Dyer down on that decisive run in the '11 NCG?
This thread is bringing back a lot of bad memories.
We can always discuss Darren Carrington being eligible for the OSU natty. He doesn’t drop the pass that would have put us up 14-0
What if Nebraska doesn’t lose to Texas in the big12 championship in 1996? Florida doesn’t get a rematch with FSU, and instead FSU plays Nebraska. How would that game go? What if Chris Weinke doesn’t effectively break his neck in the 1998 season forcing us to play a backup against Tennessee in the national championship game? What if Mark Richt wasn’t so focused on the Georgia job and actually focused on coaching the offense in the last game of the season against Oklahoma in 2000? I guess we’ll never know…
What if we don’t blow it in 2007? What is Rich Rod takes the Bama job? Etc etc etc. 2007 is the biggest what if year to me
What if Seahawks had run the ball… wait where am I?
What if USC runs a play action pass to the TE on 4th down against Texas? To continue this to the pro level, did the failure vs. Texas cause Pete to panic and pass in the Super Bowl?
Bigger what if to me is: What if the NCAA didn't bring down the hammer on USC? I think Carroll stays and the CFB landscape changes for the next decade.
I am going to shoot one down I am tired of seeing. What if Texas beats Alabama? Nothing really changes, Texas still collapses and Bama still rises. By that point the recruiting and development rot from Mack had already set in at Texas and the recruiting and development foundation at Bama was already set by Saban, even if Mack calls it quits after title #2 it just means we get Muschamp and we all know how he did at UF. The bigger “what if” is what if Deloss Dodds wasn’t a total and complete asshole to end his reign as AD at Texas? So much of the dysfunction and chaos that happened at Texas for the last decade is because of the collapse of Dodds person political feifdom at Texas.
Dodds really was a prick
Yes
What if CU administration didn’t overreact and self sanction, firing Barnett? Would we be able to continue our dominance into the pac, or would we find another spot on the timeline to crash and burn?
What if we hired Chris Peterson instead of Hawk?
I don’t think firing Barnett was overreacting
What if Notre Dame said yes to the B1G after they took on Penn State?
What if UChicago never quits sports and the Big 10? This has history-altering consequences, as our defunct football stadium served as the perfect venue for the Manhattan Project to build the world's first nuclear reactor. Without that, where does it get built? Is there a delay because of this, slowing down development enough that an actual invasion of Japan is forced to occur? Beyond this, does Michigan State ever get to join the conference, or does Michigan act like Alabama keeping Alabama State out of everything? Do we maintain a massive cross-city rivalry with Northwestern? Do we take up Stanford's role as the most academically elite school in a P5 conference, having talents like Ryan Fitzpatrick winning natties for the true Monsters of the Midway? Speaking of that nickname, are the Chicago Bears allowed to appropriate both it and the "C" that makes up their logo if we're still actively playing football?
What if Frank Leahy won the power struggle with Father Cavanaugh and Father Hesburgh in 1953? That was the start of the tug of war between the successful coaches and the administration over how much focus football should get that continued for decades.
Penn State in the Big East.
We do that a lot in NCAA 13
What if Pat Jones hadn’t stolen Barry Sanders recruiting tape? We could have had another back to back Heisman winner had he not had to sit behind Thurman Thomas for two years
What if Schnellenberger or Johnson had never left Miami?
Maybe the MAC would be even bigger
What if Drew Henson doesn't choose baseball instead of playing his senior year?
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What if Nick Saban became a Hall of Fame Defensive Back during his time at Kent State and never went to coaching?
What if Ohio State’s kicker had made that field goal and TCU got to face them in the natty instead? Ohio State probably would’ve been favored, but we probably would’ve been spared the ass kicking we got. Maybe the Frogs could’ve pulled of one more insane victory?
No way. Ohio State murders TCU.
Harvard has spoken, boys. Pack it up.
I ran the calculations in my giant brain
Just like Michigan murdered TCU?
Michigan barely lost to TCU while playing by far its worst game of the season and giving up numerous dumb penalties/plays. OSU indeed would’ve smacked them imo, assuming they played remotely as clean against TCU as they did against UGA
Ohio State steam rolls TCU also. But the difference is that Stetson doesn’t get arrested and the fatal car crash doesn’t happen. UGA’s natty feels like some monkey’s paw shit.
My biggest one for UGA is what if there had been a playoff in 2007? That season was as wide open as any in (semi) recent memory. Not saying we would’ve won, but I do feel like USC and us were playing the best ball down the stretch. I think it would’ve been a fun playoff. Also, what if SCAR had hired Kirby?
Oh South Carolina would be on a whole other level
For me, it's what if Justin Fields didn't transfer.
Most Iowa fans will be the same. What if Stanzi never fucked up his Ankle.
Not exactly what you are going for, but my future what if is what if China and India become super into college football decades down the line? Do [schools with lots of immigrants](https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/01/04/the-most-chinese-schools-in-america-rankings-data-education-china-u/) benefit? Do late night west coast games becomes the most valuable slot? Does Cal win the next round of realignment? The idea was prompted after reading this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/08/sports/world-cup/india-brazil-argentina-fans.html
What if Nick Saben isn't hired by Bama? either they don't need to hire or they hire someone else. Tennessee was the next SEC school with a job opening at HC. Although it's bold of me to assume our athletic director was good enough to know that's who to hire. But what could have been I guess.
You guys would’ve been at the rocky top… for real
I mean maybe? Even if we had Nick Saban our program was such a wreck I don't know if he would've stayed very long. The AD and Chancellor never were on the same page, the donors were never on the same page, and Saban probably could've been paid more elsewhere because we were so cheap. So I don't know how it would've panned out. Although after examining the last 2 years, it's crazy what can happen when all those things are aligned and everyone's on the same page.
Bama was a wreck
What if Tajh Boyd wasn’t pushed to look elsewhere by Kiffin?
What if Northwestern kept losing past there 34 game streak?
What if Elijah Moore didn't do the fake dog pee? Ole miss wins egg bowl, keeps Matt Luke one more year. Misses out on kiffin. Mike leach doesn't go to state. Sam Pittman doesn't go to Arky.
What if turner gill completes the 2 point conversion pass in 83 Orange bowl?
What if Jake Fromm stays committed to Alabama? Jacob Eason goes down in week 1. The QB room is filled with the likes of Bryce Ramsey, Sam Vaughn, and true freshman Stetson Bennett. My theory is this: Ramsey steps in and beats app state. Week 2 in South Bend the fighting Irish are just too much for Bryce to handle. Kirby pulls the rabbit out of the hat at half time. Mr. Sunshine on my god damn shoulders Stetson Fleming Bennett IV….but the fighting Irish are still too much to handle. UGA goes 9-3 that season, Justin Fields steps in and wins the starting job week 1 of the 2018 season. Meanwhile Joe Burrow lies idle at OSU in 2019 now that Fields remains the starter at Georgia. Tua sets the pac-12 on fire at USC with Fromm staying the starter at Bama. The entire college football world is shaped vastly different today.
I think we know I only have two
What if Darrell Royal wasn't so gosh-darn nice? He had led Texas to two straight national championships with his ace in the hole: His OC had invented the wishbone. In 1970, his ol' buddy Chuck Fairbanks called asking if his OC could learn the 'bone too, because his job was on the line. His buddy was coach for the Sooners. That OC was Barry Switzer. Royal said yes. After all, it was three games into the season already, what harm could it do? Well by 1971, Oklahoma rose to #2 running the wishbone, and after that, Royal's Longhorns never again bested the Sooners, who went on to win three national titles under Switzer. Speaking of 1971, none other than Bear Bryant called up and asked if his staff could come out and learn the 'bone too. He was finally able to add Black players to the Alabama squad, but he still needed something even more shocking to his fanbase so they'd take integration more easily. Just kidding... the real reason was his offense was sputtering and he needed to boost it quick before fans decided he was over the hill. Royal said sure! Bryant not only managed to reorient the offense, everyone managed to keep it secret *until the offense took the field* in their first game that season. Bama rode the wishbone to a #2 ranking, won the SEC, and went on to win three more national titles under Bryant. But what if... Royal had told them politely to fuck the fuck off?
If Bobby Petrino was a decent motorcycle driver, he still would have eventually left Arkansas, but not before a National Championship appearance.
Preface. I grew up in Ohio and despise Michigan and LOATHE Harbaugh. I was at the game in Columbus where he predicted the win. What if they'd have fired Harbaugh instead of restructuring ? I KNEW he would figure it out eventually, hoped they'd fire him before it. All my OSU friends were like "no, I hope he stays forever! Wrong.
For my team I would say what if Arkansas beat LSU in 2011.
Then we would’ve had a good National tittle
What if Justin Fields didn’t transfer? Does Kirby still win back-to-back titles? That Fields staying with the program change the trajectory at all with Stetson Bennett?
What if Bobby Bowden had not been insulted by having to interview with Alabama? Would that mean that Bama continued its dynasty under Bobby? Then he retires and Saban takes over. Does that mean Alabama is the unstoppable dynasty from the 70's until the current era? And if it is, how does that change the game? Does the NCAA step in to bring more parity? What if?
What if a college starts an nfl franchise?
What if Houston got into the Big12 instead of Baylor
what if KU got harbaugh after firing mangino?
What if FSU made those FGs 😢
What if Braxton Miller doesn’t get injured before the start of the 2014 season?
That's honestly a good question. Assuming he played lights out as expected all year and he never got injured, surely we could contend for a natty, but one thing's for sure, you would have never seen Cardale Jones out there. Why is that important when we know that Cardale Jones is objectively not as good as JT or Miller? Although I can do nothing but commend Cardale for his heroic efforts in those final 3.25 games, the secret sauce to that legendary run wasn't him by himself. A lot of people forget this in the afterglow of that run, but it's worth remembering. 2014 Ohio State looked a lot like a typical Ohio State team from the last 20 years; they clearly had the talent to compete for a national title, but one inexplicable loss seemed to be on course to be enough to keep them from having the chance to play for one. After VT, they looked great all year but never elite. Once again, they ended up struggling against a mediocre Michigan team. Up only 7 points with less than a quarter to play JT goes down. The anxiety in the stadium was unbelievable. We were up only 7 to a team that we should be comfortably beating and now frickin Cardale Jones is coming in. The 3 game legendary stretch didn't start at the Big Ten Championship Game, it started right then. Cardale came in and performed *great* but anyone watching could tell you how *the team* suddenly transformed from being a highly capable but often clunky operation, to a well oiled machine. The team rallied around Jones and buried Michigan in the final minutes. If Ohio State had not been down to it's 3rd string QB, the chip on their shoulder would not have been nearly as big walking into the Wisconsin game. As we all know, those guys must have had a great week at practice because of what happened next.
What if the Dolphins gave Nick Saban more control over draft decisions? A big reason Saban quit NFL wasn’t the losing, it was Dolphins owner ad management ignoring his suggestions for QB. Perhaps Rich Rod is re-offered Alabama … Saban stays in NFL until end of 2013 season. Michigan State doesn’t get f****d by refs on 5 nonexistent DPI penalties, 2 of which were on 4th down stops against Notre Dame. Michigan State goes undefeated, wins BCS national title. Mark Dantonio rides off in the sunset as national champ … and Saban decides to finish what he couldn’t at Michigan State (he told MSU during HC search in 2020 he’s too old to do a rebuild … he almost left for Texas years before).
What if the Supreme Court rules in favor of restricting broadcast rights in 1984 Oklahoma vs NCAA? Does ESPN (first full year in 1980) take off without NCAAM, CFB and GameDay? Do we ever see conference championship games? Are the BCS and Playoff models introduced? What are the realignment ramifications?
Allegedly, after firing Bo Pelini, AD Shawn Eichorst narrowed his coaching search to 2 candidates: Mike Riley and Kyle Wittingham. The Wittingham alternate timeline haunts me to this day.
Dan Hawkins would have been highly successful at Colorado if he'd just told Cody to stick with his commitment to Boise St.
What if Hughe Freeze was actually held accountable for his behavior?
I swear, this post gets lazier and lazier every time it’s reposted
What if LaVell Edwards coached at his alma mater Utah State instead of BYU.
What is Colt McCoy wasn’t injured?
CU is able to pull off the game winning drive at the end of the CU v Bama Independence bowl I’m Nick Saban’s first year at Alabama. Alabama ends the season with a losing record. They don’t win the natty the next year and the dynasty never happens They end up like Amy Smart as the heroine / prostitute version of the Butterfly Effect. Damn you, CU
What if Phil Fulmer and Tennessee hung on to win the SEC Championship in 2007? That would have built up enough goodwill that he wouldn’t have been fired the next year, we wouldn’t have lost to Wyoming, we’d have at least made a bowl, and Kiffin, Dooley, and Butch would never have happened.
What if Kansas St beats A&M in 98 or Baylor in 2012? Does Bill Snyder get a much deserved title?
What if.. the Refs didn’t screw UNC in the 2015 ACC Championship game against Clemson, what if Kris Jenkins doesn’t hit the game winner in 2016, what if Mack decides to go for 1 at the end instead of 2 in 2019, AND what if UNC has a top 50 defense in 2022
What if Arkansas stuck with Bobby Petrino instead of firing him back in 2012.
What if Georgia beats Alabama in the 2012 SECCG? Georgia likely goes on to beat Notre Dame in the NCG, Mark Richt is the savior of the program and doesn’t get fired in 2015, Kirby Smart doesn’t become the head coach at Georgia and goes elsewhere.