Is Alabama Now the Most Despised Team in College Football?

If the old saying that states "success breeds contempt" is really true, then the Alabama football team better be ready for some mighty harsh backlash this season. 

Over the last three years, the Crimson Tide have won 36 total games, two BCS championships and managed to assert their dominance in college football’s strongest and most competitive conference.

Coach Nick Saban has brought one of the most prestigious brand names back to the forefront of the sport. Alabama is now once again one of the most prominent teams and most talked about programs in all of college football.

Since arriving in Tuscaloosa back in 2007, Saban has managed to return the Tide to being a true college football powerhouse during his five years at the school. The team now looks more like an NFL JV squad than it does a college team at this point.

Saban has had no trouble stocking up on highly touted high school recruits during his time as Alabama’s head coach. He’s managed to turn plenty of those heralded blue-chip prospects into coveted NFL prospects.

It’s hard not to appreciate and respect all that the coach has accomplished during his tenure as leader of the Tide, but that doesn’t mean that Alabama doesn’t have plenty of critics.

Everyone living outside of the SEC world loves to hate on the conference. Because Alabama has been so successful recently, the Tide have become the No. 1 target of the league’s detractors.

Admittedly, there are definitely legitimate reasons why fans would despise a program like Alabama.

First of all, Nick Saban certainly isn't going to win an award for being college football’s classiest coach any time soon.

Plus, the Crimson Tide faithful don’t exactly have a pristine and stellar reputation. The fans have developed a tendency to be just a bit overly obnoxious and arrogant (OK, Roll Tide, we got it, thanks). And of course, it certainly doesn’t help a fanbase when you’ve got teabaggers and tree poisoners as some of your most talked about representatives.

Still, just because Saban may be college football’s most unlovable coach, and just because Alabama fans for the most part are basically impossible to deal with, does that really mean that Alabama has now assumed the role of college football’s top villain?

Well, the Tide are now the reigning national champions. For that alone, Alabama will have plenty of people hoping for the team's downfall in 2012. 

The fact is, this Saban-led squad has begun to border on being a juggernaut and no sensible, impartial fan wants to root for Goliath over David.

We witnessed something similar during the 2000s when USC was being treated as college football’s “it” team year after year. After receiving an overabundance of publicity and praise from the sports media, the Trojans quickly became many fans’ favorite team to hate in college football.

We will likely now witness something similar with Alabama, as the Tide's recent success has certainly seemed to garner plenty of contempt. 

Alabama will likely remain one of college football's most powerful programs for as long as Nick Saban is leading the way. However, if the team keeps up its current rate of success, the Tide better get used to being one of college football's most despised teams in the years to come.