Returning National Champions? Alabama Coach Nick Saban Says It Is a Myth

According to Nick Saban, there is no such a thing as a returning national champ.

And he is right, with regard to the players.

As an institution, it is a totally different thing. Each year in college football their is turnover in personnel that has to do with the maturation of an individual and the need to move on to a professional career. That career may be in the NFL or in the world outside of stadiums and domes.

Teams also lose players for many other reasons. Many of these are unfortunate for the athlete because his career is cut short by injury, poor grades, or an unsuccessful attempt to leave for the NFL before graduation.

Regardless of the reason, the changes affect starting positions and depth charts that have significant impact on how the follow up season outlook is viewed by others who take interest and have knowledge of how to predict such things.

Yet no prognosticator always gets it right. Most have a better than 60 percent success rate or they couldn't sell their predictions for more than the paper they are printed on (or, in modern terms, entice someone to pay for their predictions on the Internet).

Alabama, as an institution, will field a team with the moniker as returning national champion. But the players on the field know differently. From the opening kickoff to the first play from scrimmage, their will be players with a significant role on this team who never saw the field during the previous championship run.

Some will have changed positions or assumed a more important role in the offensive, defensive, or special teams schemes. Whatever happens, this team is a new team. Despite having eight returning starters on offense, the schemes and plan of attack will be different.

With eight new starters on defense, the plan may be to revert to a more basic scheme in the early part of the season and increase the complexity as it develops, and the players prove on the field that they can play with very few mistakes.

This season, Alabama football will field a team with 12 All-SEC Media Day selections. It is the most for the school since the first team was made in 1992.

Florida had twelve selections last season. That team had one loss—the SEC championship game.

Eight of the players selected were offensive players, with four on defense. Mark Ingram and Donta' Hightower had the highest number of votes of players selected, and Trent Richardson was also adorned with first team honors, giving the running back tandem the mark as the potential best two backs ever in an Alabama backfield.

Senior left tackle James Carpenter, junior wide receiver Julio Jones, offensive lineman Barrett Jones and defensive lineman Marcell Dareus were first team selections as well.

The second team included quarterback Greg McElroy, center William Vlachos and linebacker Courtney Upshaw. Julio Jones was named to the second team as a returner on special teams.

Alabama is predicted to win the SEC West, and the voting margin was large. The Tide are predicted to defend the conference championship against Florida in the SEC Championship game—which would be the first time two teams played in the SEC championship three years in a row.

These are just predictions. Alabama and Florida fans, remain calm.

Don't buy into the hype until at least halfway through the season. In fact, it is just hype. These players have to live up to their billing and it is up to the coaches to give them every chance to do so this season.

You see, it's just as much about the coaching than it is about the players and their potential. The coaches are behind the scenes, preparing the warriors to take the field. A team is not a team without a coach and his staff. The Alabama staff is largely intact, replacing only one assistant in the offseason.

The Tide are ready to get it on. They want to get fall camp started and get it over. It's time to prepare for a season of testing, a season of trials and small steps that will help develop a new identity for this team.

It's time for college football to begin the 2010 season. The 2009 campaign is over; bragging rights are no longer valid. Preseason predictions are just a barometer, not a true measure of what is to be.

Anticipation, it's making me wait. It's making me wait once again.