One College Football Program Stands Above All Others

The curtain closed on what had to be one of the strangest college football seasons in the history of the sport.

Alabama won another national title and in doing so helped further cement the legacy of coach Nick Saban. When he was hired by Alabama the thought was Saban could only hope to be the second greatest coach in school history. Now a legitimate case can be made he is the best in the history of the sport at this level.

The 2020 season, with games cancelled and rescheduled and always seemingly in doubt, was a journey unlike any previous for all teams. Football Bowl Subdivision programs had challenges no one could dream possible in 2020.

The fact that the Crimson Tide navigated all of the rocky waters on and off the football field showed why this is the premier big-time college gridiron program. No, Alabama does not win every game. Yet, the Crimson Tide are in contention every season.

It has been a remarkable run that shows no sign of ending. First-round draft choices leave each other but there always seem to be more waiting in the wings for the next season.

Recruiting, it has been said, is the lifeblood of college football. However, it was pointed out that Ohio State has numerous 5-star recruits as well, but when all was said and done, the Buckeyes were no match for Alabama.

Perhaps the biggest question moving forward is how much longer will Saban coach. He really has nothing left to prove now, at least not at the collegiate level.

At this point in his career, Saban is not returning to the NFL. He might have wanted to at one time perhaps. His tenure in the Miami Dolphins was a short one but was also unsuccessful.

The Dolphins weren’t the worst team in the NFL during the two seasons Saban coached them, but make no mistake that college is clearly the better fit for the man who is running out of fingers for national championship rings.

Saban was despised by Miami fans and even some team personnel. He had such a cold demeanor that it has been told of how people would turn and walk the other way if they saw Saban walking down the hall in their direction.

There is a famous (or infamous) NFL Films segment about the Top 10 coaches who belonged in college rather than the pros. Saban was on this list and the radio announcer for Miami said if Saban walked in the door at that moment he would intercept him for a fight. Ouch.

That being said, there can be no arguing that Saban is in his element in college. It’s no small honor to be widely considered the greatest in the history of the sport, but Saban makes his case as well as anyone. That includes Bear Bryant, Woody Hayes, Bobby Bowden, Bud Wilkinson and others.

When Kirby Smart left the Alabama coaching staff to direct the University of Georgia, many, if not most, Dog faithful believed a new king of the SEC mountain had arrived. It hasn’t turned out that way of course.

Saban is still ruling the college football kingdom and just when you think you have seen the most dominant Alabama team there could possibly be, the Crimson Tide rolls out another team which dominates on its way to the championship.

The 2020 season was made even more impressive because of the previously unknown element of COVID-19. Even a virus which threatened college football like nothing else couldn’t slow down Alabama. The virus also sidelined Saban for one game but his team never missed a beat.

There have already been several college football writers who have released their Preseason Top 25 for 2021. No list can really be credible, however, unless it has the Crimson Tide as number one and some actually don’t.

The bigger the game, the more Alabama rises to the occasion. We shouldn’t be surprised anymore. We’ve heard this song many times before. The 2020 season was simply another verse.

As long as Saban is the captain of this boat, the USS Crimson Tide will continue to navigate any and all rough waters it encounters on the college football sea.

Monticello native Chris Bridges has contributed to The Monticello News since 1988. He welcomes feedback about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.