January 7th, 2013 at 11:43 PM ^
ND: Still Returning to Glory since 1993.
January 7th, 2013 at 11:44 PM ^
Maybe an occasional BCE game, esp if they continue to dumb down their schedule. But this is the high water mark for this generation of Domer fans.
January 7th, 2013 at 11:44 PM ^
I really didn't enjoy watching ND get spanked, like I thought I would, but my hate for the SEC and ESPN has sure grown a lot.
January 8th, 2013 at 11:48 AM ^
January 7th, 2013 at 11:44 PM ^
Maybe an occasional BCS game, esp if they continue to dumb down their schedule. But this is the high water mark for this generation of Domer fans.
January 7th, 2013 at 11:45 PM ^
January 7th, 2013 at 11:48 PM ^
Agree. They really should have beat that Cam led Auburn team; was very shocked when Bama let them back in and win that one. Psychopathic is a pretty damn good way to put it, too.
January 7th, 2013 at 11:48 PM ^
than that guy?
January 8th, 2013 at 12:08 AM ^
January 7th, 2013 at 11:46 PM ^
I was right but it's ok"
Sounds like there's still some bitterness in there
January 7th, 2013 at 11:51 PM ^
EPIC!
January 7th, 2013 at 11:57 PM ^
January 7th, 2013 at 11:49 PM ^
January 7th, 2013 at 11:50 PM ^
I'm glad ND lost and glad they lost by one point more than we did. ND and Michigan are at about the same level.
January 8th, 2013 at 2:13 AM ^
We outplayed ND by a bit, but for the turnover department,
So, of course, on a southern neutral field, Bama 42 ND 14 is a bit worse than Bama 41 Mich 14
QED
January 7th, 2013 at 11:52 PM ^
Thanks John Saunders for pumping Discover even more...Advertising is running rampant anymore (old news is old, but damn).
January 7th, 2013 at 11:53 PM ^
And now, for the Discover Dr. Pepper Ford Sun Life Metro PCS BCS Championship game trophy presentation brought to you by Taco Bell.
January 7th, 2013 at 11:58 PM ^
They played a great game.
January 8th, 2013 at 12:04 AM ^
January 8th, 2013 at 12:01 AM ^
January 8th, 2013 at 12:02 AM ^
January 8th, 2013 at 12:09 AM ^
January 8th, 2013 at 1:54 AM ^
and maybe someone else has hashed this out somewhere, but Alabama winning like this has got me thinking about how replicable or not the system they seemingly have is. As far as I can tell, they
1. Recruit very well. This is a necessity for any team to do well at a high level. Note, though, that they do not always have the number 1 recruiting class, so the talent they get is not far and away better than any other team's talent. In 2012, according to Rivals, they had 2621 points, and actually were number 1, whereas number 10, Auburn, had 1951 points. Point being that the difference in talent should not be that extreme. They had 26 recruits, which, while being on the bigger side, is not unheard of, or even that unusual. We had 2132 points and 25 recruits, by way of comparison. Obviously, they've been recruiting like that for longer, so they have the stockpile now.
2. Aggressive roster management. From what I've seen discussed here, Saban won't hesitate to dump a kid that won't be playing. While he may be more heartless than some, I think many coaches probably have some system where they encourage players who aren't working out in their system/cracking the depth chart to go elsewhere where they might.
3. More or less singleminded coaches whose only focus is winning. Maybe the most apt comparison is Coach K, in that he always seems grim and super focused, while never getting emotional. He won't be your friend, but you will win playing under him, and get drafted, so see number 1.
4. A system they want to run, and, you guessed it, the correct personnel. It seems to me that Alabama is built on defense that gives up some yards (and a fairly high number of passing yards), while giving up very few points. This is built on a good defensive line. On offense, my understanding is that they run what we would call MANBALL, with a line that clears space for dominant North-South running backs who don't go down after the first hit.
Maybe I'm making nothing out of something, but the plan seems replicable by someone (us?), if we continue to pull in recruiting classes in the top 5 area, are upfront with kids who aren't cracking the depth chart and tell them it might be best to move on if it's not working out, and if we keep up the defense, while molding a more coherent offense, which is possible. I just don't really think we're more than a couple years away from this high of a level, given that we don't have sanctions, are recruiting well, and seemingly have a competent staff, provided Borges gets his system in place, and the players he wants. Thoughts?
January 8th, 2013 at 4:07 AM ^
such a terrible idea on so many levels. Even if what you say is true, just because one team does it successfully doesn't mean it is a good plan.
Also, your coach k analogy is terrible.
January 8th, 2013 at 9:20 AM ^
Closing thoughts.