Here’s the deal about Alabama football.
Auburn fans hate to hear this — shoot, fans across the country hate to hear this — but it’s true. Despite the occasional rough stretches in its history, the Alabama football program is a blessed one. It is both an immovable object and an unstoppable force. Its success seems preordained, perhaps divinely inspired. Simply put, God’s an Alabama fan; there’s no other plausible rationale. What other explanation is there as to how a program that was trolling the dumpster bottom less than two years ago is on the verge of completing two consecutive undefeated regular seasons? In the SEC no less! How does a program that’s taken more body blows than Rocky Balboa rebound so quickly and so absolutely? If God himself isn’t responsible, then a saint is. Saint Nick, of course.
Crimson Tide fans can say it with impunity now: Bama’s back! It’s not a tease this time, like it was in 1999, or 2002, or 2005, or the beginning of the 2007 season. It’s official this time. For the past decade, the one thing that Alabama hasn’t done — aside from win a national championship or a BCS bowl — is show consistency. No back-to-back 10-win seasons, no back-to-back SEC title game appearances, no consecutive appearances in major bowl games. That’s all changed. Alabama will win 10 games for a second-straight season. And they will play again in the SEC Championship game. And then they will again compete in a major bowl game. For once in a long while, it isn’t wishful thinking. It’s reality.
In order to fully comprehend the magnitude of the Tuscaloosa turnaround, consider the state of the Alabama program two years ago this week.
Nov. 17, 2007. Louisiana-Monroe 21, Alabama 14. Ground zero for a team that had hired five head coaches in seven years, been gut-punched twice by the NCAA in six years and hadn’t strung together two 10-win seasons since George H.W. Bush occupied the White House. There were coaches who dallied with secretaries and strippers, and one who dropped his rope under the cover of darkness. There were players who signed with agents, some who signed with boosters and many more who were signed out on their own recognizance. There were losses, lots of them, to teams from towns that Rand McNally couldn’t find. Northern Illinois, Central Florida, Louisiana Tech...and ULM.
In the mid-week press conference that followed the Monroe loss, Nick Saban pondered a suitable analogy to put his program’s latest embarrassment into perspective.
“Changes in history usually occur after some kind of catastrophic event,” Saban said. “It may be 9/11, which sort of changed the spirit of America relative to catastrophic events. Pearl Harbor kind of got us ready for World War II, and that was a catastrophic event.”
Little did we know at the time, appallingly insensitive remarks aside, Saban’s overall message of change was spot-on. Since the ULM loss, Alabama is 22-3 overall, 21-1 in the regular season and 13-0 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. By contrast, Alabama was 13-12 over the previous 25 game spread, and 15-10 over the previous, previous 25 game spread. Consider that, for much of the decade, a berth in any low-tier bowl game (even — yikes — the Independence Bowl) was cause for celebration. Suddenly, now it’s SEC Championship Game or bust. And after last weekend’s LSU game, that’s exactly where the Tide finds itself for the second year in a row.
There are folks out there, myself included, who believe that God calls them to certain professions. If I’m right about that, then there cannot be a better modern-day example than Nick Saban. If ever there was a human being that was fulfilling his true role in life, it’s Saint Nick. The constant grind of the coaching profession doesn’t wear him down, it sharpens his edge. The sleepless nights don’t tire him out, they energize him for the next day. He’s never satisfied, always challenging himself, always selling the program. It’s Glengarry Glen Ross meets college football. Put that coffee down, coffee’s for winners. You drove a Hyundai to work today, he drove a crimson, built-Ford-tough truck. His watch cost more than your car. His leads are not weak, you’re weak. He’d wish you luck, but you wouldn’t know what to do with it if you got it. Have I got your attention now? Good.
Remember those folks who thought Mike Shula got a raw deal in 2006 when he was forced out? I’d have thought anyone who has watched enough football to call themselves a fan could see that Mike Shula was to the coaching profession what Larry Langford is to debt management: Unacquainted. Each day that’s passed since Shula’s termination makes his hiring seem that much more appalling. Every game he won was the result of either blind luck, fervent prayer from the fan base, or both. And yet, when he was fired, there was genuine outcry from a large portion of that fan base. You can’t treat a former player like that! He was just getting things turned around. Where are those people now? Gone, faded into the woodwork.
Remember the weeping and gnashing of teeth that resulted from Rich Rodriguez’s famous spurning of the Tide? Remember local TV reporters gathering outside the West Virginia player’s meeting, waiting for word on whether the miracle-working Mountaineer would jump ship to T-town? Then the WVU managers ran out the door with glee, thumbs raised proudly? No RichRod for Bama, and the mourning commenced. And now look at the body of work he’s put together at tradition-rich Michigan? Now who’s weeping and gnashing their teeth?
Remember what Nick Saban told the South Florida media? “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.” What if his word was bond? What if Mal Moore had left the tarmac in Miami without his new coach in tow? Who would he have turned to next? Joe Kines?
It’s all moot now. For once, the Alabama administration bowed up against the fan base and made the right call in firing Mike Shula. For some reason — at least at that point in time — money couldn’t woo RichRod out of his rural backwater. And, although it’s a far less impressive feat, Nick Saban made a conscious decision to break a promise he made to the media. Is it coincidence? Perhaps...but that seems like too many coincidences to me.
The reality is Nick Saban was made for Alabama and vice-versa. The story of how they met should be cut into an e-Harmony commercial. The constant pressure of Alabama’s demanding fan base — which has worn down every post-Bryant head coach — feeds Nick Saban’s drive to succeed. Saban’s cold, calculating demeanor and his Ahab-like obsession with winning at all costs emboldens the fan base. It’s a violation of the laws of thermodynamics...a self-perpetuating machine of football success. Winning attracts recruits, good recruiting allows teams keep winning, and so on.
More importantly though, Nick Saban has provided Alabama the benefit of the doubt from a national perspective. Whereas, under Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione and Mike Shula, Alabama occasionally won games, Nick Saban’s Alabama is expected to win games. That helps with regard to preseason polling (which, as the 2004 Auburn Tigers can attest, tremendously affects a team’s end-of-the-year success) as well as BCS positioning. Right now, Cincinnati, Boise State and TCU don’t have the benefit of the doubt. If computers ran the whole BCS system, one or all of them would likely be ranked ahead of Alabama. But, as it is, humans trust Alabama. Why is that? Is it because Alabama’s been there and done that in the past? In some respect, yes. Moreover, it’s because Nick Saban’s been there and done that in the past. Like Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll and Bob Stoops, Nick Saban is a deal-breaker. And that, more so than any other benefit that accompanies his presence, is the reason Nick Saban is so important to the Alabama program.
So, for now, Alabama’s back on top of the college football world. For how long? Who knows? This stuff always cycles up and down. There’s always the ever-present fear of rogue boosters, pay-for-play and NCAA investigators — all of which helped plunge the Tide into the wilderness for much of the decade. There’s always megalomaniacs in the athletic department that can spoil things (remember Bob Bockrath?). But it’s a safe bet to assume that the self-perpetuating machine will feed itself at least as long as Nick Saban is on the payroll. And, as LSU can attest, perhaps afterward as well.
Upon Further Review is the Birmingham Weekly sports page. Write to matt@bhamweekly.com.
Auburn fans hate to hear this — shoot, fans across the country hate to hear this — but it’s true. Despite the occasional rough stretches in its history, the Alabama football program is a blessed one. It is both an immovable object and an unstoppable force. Its success seems preordained, perhaps divinely inspired. Simply put, God’s an Alabama fan; there’s no other plausible rationale. What other explanation is there as to how a program that was trolling the dumpster bottom less than two years ago is on the verge of completing two consecutive undefeated regular seasons? In the SEC no less! How does a program that’s taken more body blows than Rocky Balboa rebound so quickly and so absolutely? If God himself isn’t responsible, then a saint is. Saint Nick, of course.
Crimson Tide fans can say it with impunity now: Bama’s back! It’s not a tease this time, like it was in 1999, or 2002, or 2005, or the beginning of the 2007 season. It’s official this time. For the past decade, the one thing that Alabama hasn’t done — aside from win a national championship or a BCS bowl — is show consistency. No back-to-back 10-win seasons, no back-to-back SEC title game appearances, no consecutive appearances in major bowl games. That’s all changed. Alabama will win 10 games for a second-straight season. And they will play again in the SEC Championship game. And then they will again compete in a major bowl game. For once in a long while, it isn’t wishful thinking. It’s reality.
In order to fully comprehend the magnitude of the Tuscaloosa turnaround, consider the state of the Alabama program two years ago this week.
Nov. 17, 2007. Louisiana-Monroe 21, Alabama 14. Ground zero for a team that had hired five head coaches in seven years, been gut-punched twice by the NCAA in six years and hadn’t strung together two 10-win seasons since George H.W. Bush occupied the White House. There were coaches who dallied with secretaries and strippers, and one who dropped his rope under the cover of darkness. There were players who signed with agents, some who signed with boosters and many more who were signed out on their own recognizance. There were losses, lots of them, to teams from towns that Rand McNally couldn’t find. Northern Illinois, Central Florida, Louisiana Tech...and ULM.
In the mid-week press conference that followed the Monroe loss, Nick Saban pondered a suitable analogy to put his program’s latest embarrassment into perspective.
“Changes in history usually occur after some kind of catastrophic event,” Saban said. “It may be 9/11, which sort of changed the spirit of America relative to catastrophic events. Pearl Harbor kind of got us ready for World War II, and that was a catastrophic event.”
Little did we know at the time, appallingly insensitive remarks aside, Saban’s overall message of change was spot-on. Since the ULM loss, Alabama is 22-3 overall, 21-1 in the regular season and 13-0 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. By contrast, Alabama was 13-12 over the previous 25 game spread, and 15-10 over the previous, previous 25 game spread. Consider that, for much of the decade, a berth in any low-tier bowl game (even — yikes — the Independence Bowl) was cause for celebration. Suddenly, now it’s SEC Championship Game or bust. And after last weekend’s LSU game, that’s exactly where the Tide finds itself for the second year in a row.
There are folks out there, myself included, who believe that God calls them to certain professions. If I’m right about that, then there cannot be a better modern-day example than Nick Saban. If ever there was a human being that was fulfilling his true role in life, it’s Saint Nick. The constant grind of the coaching profession doesn’t wear him down, it sharpens his edge. The sleepless nights don’t tire him out, they energize him for the next day. He’s never satisfied, always challenging himself, always selling the program. It’s Glengarry Glen Ross meets college football. Put that coffee down, coffee’s for winners. You drove a Hyundai to work today, he drove a crimson, built-Ford-tough truck. His watch cost more than your car. His leads are not weak, you’re weak. He’d wish you luck, but you wouldn’t know what to do with it if you got it. Have I got your attention now? Good.
Remember those folks who thought Mike Shula got a raw deal in 2006 when he was forced out? I’d have thought anyone who has watched enough football to call themselves a fan could see that Mike Shula was to the coaching profession what Larry Langford is to debt management: Unacquainted. Each day that’s passed since Shula’s termination makes his hiring seem that much more appalling. Every game he won was the result of either blind luck, fervent prayer from the fan base, or both. And yet, when he was fired, there was genuine outcry from a large portion of that fan base. You can’t treat a former player like that! He was just getting things turned around. Where are those people now? Gone, faded into the woodwork.
Remember the weeping and gnashing of teeth that resulted from Rich Rodriguez’s famous spurning of the Tide? Remember local TV reporters gathering outside the West Virginia player’s meeting, waiting for word on whether the miracle-working Mountaineer would jump ship to T-town? Then the WVU managers ran out the door with glee, thumbs raised proudly? No RichRod for Bama, and the mourning commenced. And now look at the body of work he’s put together at tradition-rich Michigan? Now who’s weeping and gnashing their teeth?
Remember what Nick Saban told the South Florida media? “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.” What if his word was bond? What if Mal Moore had left the tarmac in Miami without his new coach in tow? Who would he have turned to next? Joe Kines?
It’s all moot now. For once, the Alabama administration bowed up against the fan base and made the right call in firing Mike Shula. For some reason — at least at that point in time — money couldn’t woo RichRod out of his rural backwater. And, although it’s a far less impressive feat, Nick Saban made a conscious decision to break a promise he made to the media. Is it coincidence? Perhaps...but that seems like too many coincidences to me.
The reality is Nick Saban was made for Alabama and vice-versa. The story of how they met should be cut into an e-Harmony commercial. The constant pressure of Alabama’s demanding fan base — which has worn down every post-Bryant head coach — feeds Nick Saban’s drive to succeed. Saban’s cold, calculating demeanor and his Ahab-like obsession with winning at all costs emboldens the fan base. It’s a violation of the laws of thermodynamics...a self-perpetuating machine of football success. Winning attracts recruits, good recruiting allows teams keep winning, and so on.
More importantly though, Nick Saban has provided Alabama the benefit of the doubt from a national perspective. Whereas, under Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione and Mike Shula, Alabama occasionally won games, Nick Saban’s Alabama is expected to win games. That helps with regard to preseason polling (which, as the 2004 Auburn Tigers can attest, tremendously affects a team’s end-of-the-year success) as well as BCS positioning. Right now, Cincinnati, Boise State and TCU don’t have the benefit of the doubt. If computers ran the whole BCS system, one or all of them would likely be ranked ahead of Alabama. But, as it is, humans trust Alabama. Why is that? Is it because Alabama’s been there and done that in the past? In some respect, yes. Moreover, it’s because Nick Saban’s been there and done that in the past. Like Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll and Bob Stoops, Nick Saban is a deal-breaker. And that, more so than any other benefit that accompanies his presence, is the reason Nick Saban is so important to the Alabama program.
So, for now, Alabama’s back on top of the college football world. For how long? Who knows? This stuff always cycles up and down. There’s always the ever-present fear of rogue boosters, pay-for-play and NCAA investigators — all of which helped plunge the Tide into the wilderness for much of the decade. There’s always megalomaniacs in the athletic department that can spoil things (remember Bob Bockrath?). But it’s a safe bet to assume that the self-perpetuating machine will feed itself at least as long as Nick Saban is on the payroll. And, as LSU can attest, perhaps afterward as well.
Upon Further Review is the Birmingham Weekly sports page. Write to matt@bhamweekly.com.
abercrombie
