As the clock wound down in the fourth quarter of last Saturday’s annual Iron Bowl, the University of Alabama suffered their sixth consecutive loss to in-state rival Auburn. The loss, which is sure to incite anger on sports talk shows across the state, pushed Alabama to a 6-6 record.
The Tide lost their last four games after their blowout win over Tennessee and their postseason fate remains uncertain. With the seniors graduating to careers and the NFL, Nick Saban will now turn to what he does best—recruit.
At 6-6, Crimson Tide fans across the nation are collectively wondering what they have gotten themselves into. Is Nick Saban really worth $32 million? The answer is quite simple actually.
Saban won six games with players who have exerted very poor team loyalty and work ethic. He transformed middle-of-the-road-player Darren Mustin into a future leader of society. Saban played with the cards that he was dealt, which was a very bad hand.
In a time where supreme talent and versatility is vital to survive in the Southeastern Conference, the players who showed up to play for Saban this year just didn’t cut it. While the blame can't be thrown on one person, the sporadic play of quarterback John Parker Wilson greatly played into the team’s lack of success down the stretch. The fact of the matter is, Alabama could not compete with anyone if their entire team was not firing on all cylinders. (Example: Louisiana-Monroe 21, Alabama 14)
Although Nick Saban’s regular season is over, he now has an even greater task in front of him: rebuilding the team. With a lot of seniors graduating this year, Alabama will have quite a few depth chart openings when spring practice opens, hopefully for recruits.
Currently ranked third on Rivals.com, Alabama is well on their way to a fantastic 2008 recruiting class. Many top prospects are rumored to be favoring the Tide. Should they land the number one prospect—Foley, Alabama Wide Receiver Julio Jones—Saban might win himself the first ranked recruiting class in the nation, which would be monumental in Alabama’s history, given their sub-par past in recruiting.
As far as “going bowling,” the Crimson Tide will have to accept whichever bowl is given to them, if any. Among the possibilities are the Liberty Bowl, the Independence Bowl, and the Music City Bowl, which is the most unlikely of the three. Scott Ramsey, Executive Director of the Music City Bowl, said the committee would likely give preference to a seven- or eight-win team over a 6-6 Alabama.
Steve Ehrhart, the Liberty Bowl’s executive director, said the committee will not invite any team until after the Southeastern Conference Championship Game. It is also known that Mal Moore, Alabama’s Athletic Director, spent a lot of time talking with Liberty Bowl officials after the loss to Auburn on Saturday.
While all sources are pointing towards the Crimson Tide being invited to the Liberty Bowl, should the Music City Bowl or Liberty Bowl pass up Alabama, it is likely that either Alabama or South Carolina would get the bid into Shreveport for the Independence Bowl.
While nothing is certain in this crazy world we call college football, stranger things have happened.
Can Star Jackson come into the Capstone and make an immediate impact on the Crimson Tide? Not likely. But will the 2008 team look a lot different than the 2007 team? Certainly.
Nick Saban has only had ten months with this Alabama team. They stuck with LSU, they clobbered Tennessee, and they are producing a great amount of interest from prospects. Given time, Saban will undoubtedly prove to be well worth the $32 million.
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10 months ago
Good read. I hate to put fuel on the fire, but if Saban can get his players to play for UT, LSU, and UGA, then why can't he do the same for Mississippi State and LA Monroe? Yeah, DJ should've caught the ball in the endzone against Auburn - or at least not allow for the interception. Yeah, the kids shouldn't have gotten caught up in the textbook scandal. John Parker shouldn't have thrown this pass and that pass.
But Alabama showed up to play against the SEC East champ. Alabama showed up to play against the SEC West champ. (Both of which were in Tuscaloosa). So, if the Tide can play with those teams as you suggest, and as I witnessed, why should Saban get a "freebie" for the losses to ULM, MSU, and Auburn?
I'm no Bama fan, but I do like the positive spin you write about. I just think the consensus in Tuscaloosa is that the name "Saban" alone merits a "gimme" season - a rebuilding year so to speak. If it were me, I would be upset if my team went 6-6 and lost to ULM, MSU, and archrival Auburn regardless of who the coach is and how much he gets paid. But that's just me.
10 months ago
All valid points, but the mark of a not so talented team is inconsistency. That's how a team like Stanford beats USC and loses to Notre Dame. Up until the MSU game, Alabama's only really bad peformance was against Florida State, but a team can only be coached up so much. The outgoing class as a whole didn't have the talent, maturity, or dedication to compete the entire season.
I hope Saban learned a lot this year, and all Tide fans want to see better coaching as well, but the fact is a coach can't turn around in one season a team that has been in a mediocre rut for a decade. I've heard it said that a great coach can win with any players, but that really doesn't happen. Coaches who win quick almost always come in with a loaded kitchen, and Saban didn't have that.
Saban's modus operandi is good recruiting and making talented players live up to their potential. After a 6-6 season and four straight losses, Saban is still on track for a top 5 recruiting class, so I'd say he's off to a good start. A 6-6 season sucks and has created a lot of frustration, but Alabama just has to weather the storm the program will markedly improve in the next two seasons.
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