When Nick Saban became the head coach of The Alabama Crimson Tide in 2007, he appeared to be fighting an uphill battle in The Southeastern Conference. Saban had a track record of turning things around as he had previously done with The Michigan State Spartans and The LSU Tigers. His critics expected Saban to once again make ‘Bama respectable, but not to the level that he has reached in his short time in Tuscaloosa. Saban has won two BCS Championships and The Tide has finished the last four seasons ranked in the top 10. Saban constantly is sending talent to The National Football League as four Alabama players were drafted in the first round alone of April’s NFL Draft. With parity rearing its face in college football, The Tide under Saban are a throwback to The Miami Hurricanes of the 80s and 90s and Alabama under Bear Bryant; they are once again a football factory.
Saban is constantly able to secure top-tier recruiting classes every year, but it is his ability to motivate players is something that every coach cannot achieve. Saban had players such as Trent Richardson and Julio Jones who will leave school early, but he is immediately able to plug in new players to keep The Tide rolling. After Richardson’s departure to The NFL, Saban has immediately plugged in Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon at running back to keep Alabama going.
Saban was expected to need a few seasons in Tuscaloosa to build a contender, but he made an impact by winning the recruiting battle with conference rival The Florida Gators for the services of Jones and Richardson as both players played key roles in Alabama’s two BCS Championships under Saban. Saban’s Crimson Tide squad was expected to be good in 2011, but not good enough to the point that they wouldn’t give up a touchdown in two meetings with LSU last season.
Alabama entered 2012 ranked second in the country behind The USC Trojans, but after a 41-14 beatdown over The Michigan Wolverines to start the season, The Tide jumped ahead of The Trojans in the rankings. The Arkansas Razorbacks limped into last Saturday’s match-up with Alabama after losing to Louisiana-Monroe and losing starting quarterback Tyler Wilson in the process to a concussion. Saban decided not shed a crocodile tear for The Hogs as Alabama won 52-0.
Saban remembers what happened in 2010 when The Crimson Tide came into the season as defending national champions. The Tide had a good team, but they finished the season with a record of 10-3. Saban felt that his team “believed their own press clippings” as they believed the praise that was being heaped onto them after 2009. Every team that ‘Bama faced that season was out for blood which allowed Saban to get his team’s attention heading into 2011. After winning The BCS Championship last season, Saban knows that this team has what it takes to make The BCS Championship Game in January.
Alabama’s defense is only averaging giving up 4.7 points per game which is what some teams will allow for an opponents rushing yards per carry. Alabama only allowed 8 points per game last season on defense and they appear on the path for a similar number in 2012. Senior linebacker Nico Johnson was a sophomore in 2010 when The Tide failed to repeat as national champions and I am sure that he heard a ton from Saban about how difficult it is to win consecutive championships.Through three games this season, Johnson’s 19 tackles are second on the team as that number will definitely grow once The Tide gets into conference play. Saban is a disciple of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick who himself is a disciple of former NFL head coach Bill Parcells which means that he is all about discipline and his players not defeating themselves on the football field.
After The Razorbacks collapse which included head coach Bobby Petrino being terminated in the spring, The Tide only have one tough game remaining on the schedule as they will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on November 3 to take on LSU. If they are able to win The SEC West, The Tide will more than likely either face The Gators or The Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta at The SEC Championship Game which would be the last obstacle in the way of them making it to Miami for The BCS Championship Game. As of right now, it might be a mute point as The Tide is rolling.
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