BCS Title Game Open Thread: Part II

Because they got "outcoached" by Saban with a lot of time to prepare?

Notre Dame playing better than I thought they would.  The refs gave them the first touchdown but they actually earned the second one. 

A poet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How much will ND offer Saban to be their coach next year?

Fuck Nebraska. 1997 was ours!!

What a tool!

We would have killed Nebraska.

This....is interesting..

Mccaron is such an asshole.

"TERMINATE! TERMINATE!"

-Saban

Anyone know they're winning the National Championship?

Looks like he's forgetting he's hollering at someone 150 lbs heavier than him

LOL Jones would eat McArron alive.

Best action of the night.

McCarron taking a page out of Saban's douchebook, and Jones says "fuck that."

OK Nick.  This is where people forget you're a genius and remember you're a douche.

Spat.

WTF was that?  Alabama guys pushing each other?  Up 28?

WTF just happened.....

That was the Biggest hit of the game. 

This game is a guilty pleasure.

No Bama, don't fall apart! I want MOAR margin of victory

kill him,.......wait what happened?

"Barett at center, McCarron at quarterback. A lovers' quarrel!"

The awkward horny Musberger is really on his game tonight

Nick Saban: WE'RE ONLY UP 28 GOD DAMMIT! WHAT THE FUCK REF? RAGGGEEEEE

Douchebag. His qb takes after him too.

Somebody turned the dial on Musburger up to 11 before the start of this game.

Honestly, whenever Nick Saban makes a title game and loses it, it will be like the 1980 US-Soviet hockey game.

That was the best part of the whole game!

 What would be the perfect way for a championship game between Alabama and ND to end up?  I would answer having ND get killed BUT have Alabama act like a bunch of toolbags at the end and start fighting each other.

All we need now is for a drunken Joe Namath to give an in-game interview.

I tell the line to lay down and let McCarron get blasted. Almost all of them are going to the NFL anyway, so what does it matter if they get the wrath of Saban.

His stinky Smile rivals the row of urinals in Gary Buseys pie hole.

the fact that we came close to beating notre dame but got pummeled by alabama makes the score less shocking

Manti "Mr. Heisman" Teo

Manti "Mr. Invisible" Teo

My beloved outside runs...I pine for you, lover.

Hey where's phork at? Maybe after this that lousy little troll will stay away for awhile.

Doesn't the losing head coach have to take the Cleveland job?

Starters out under 3 minutes. Later fellas.

Are those inbreds chanting SEC again? 

Fucking ESS-EEE-CEE chant.

That's bullshit.

See 1977 rose bowl game....

Ah yes, hammered announcers make it more amusing.

ND's "title" in 1947 was bullcrap.  We won the post-bowl vote.

Makes me rage thinking how Nebraska was handed the "Tom Osborn Memorial National Championship" in 1997.  IT SHOULD BE OURS OUTRIGHT!

Musberger tells Chuck Norris facts about Nick Saban

Alabama 41 - Michigan 14

Alabama 42 - Notre Dame 14

SUCK THAT BITCHES!  Who's your daddy?

This was probably the one and only time I rooted for the Irish since I have a friend at the game.  However, I can't say I'm disappointed.  In fact, I think I will root for the Irish more often.

can we all agree that the best part of the game was musbergers comments on A.J. McCarron's girlfriend "You see that lovely lady there, she does go to Auburn, but she's also Miss Alabama and that's A.J. McCarron's girlfriend," he said.

"You quarterbacks, you get all the good looking women. What a beautiful woman. Wow."

just take a damn knee

SABAN JUST HUGGED SOMEONE.

Gotta do it...

We officially did better than ND by 1 point.  Suck it Irish.

Jesus Christ.  I knew it was coming, but the fact he can't show some emotion toward some kids that have given them all they have for number of years of their lives pisses me off.  He very well may in the lockerroom...I hope so. The 2014 season can wait a few hours.

Tom Rinaldi ruins anything and everything.

Fuck both of these teams. That is all.

Fuck me. Saban is one of the best coaches EVER.

I'm so glad Notre Dame got thrashed. They're closer to 'Returning to Glory (R)' but this sure showed they've got a ways to go. Won't have to hear bout too much Notre Dame Koolaid in the season

Also, Alabama seems decidedly unexcited about winning the whole thing

I chuckled at iPhone guy.

We gave up 446 total yards.  ND just gave up 529 yards.

GEE FUCKING GEE ND

ND: Still Returning to Glory since 1993.

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. 

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.

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. 

Barring a miracle comeback they were killing Auburn and should have won that one too.

It's hard when you're going up against someone with that psychopathic determination.

I was right but it's ok"

Sounds like there's still some bitterness in there

"Saban is the best recruiter I know. They had to change the rules because of the stuff he was doing". -Brent

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.

Thanks John Saunders for pumping Discover even more...Advertising is running rampant anymore (old news is old, but damn).

And now, for the Discover Dr. Pepper Ford Sun Life Metro PCS BCS Championship game trophy presentation brought to you by Taco Bell.

They played a great game.

ND had no business playing on this field with Bama and the game proved it. Hopefully a playoff will help to limit curb-stompings of this nature in the future by taking into account SOS, margin of victory, etc, though I doubt it.

Bama was tough, as usual. We've got a long way to go before we're on their level but I believe we're on the right track. Go Blue, back to basketball!!!!

Notre Dame return to glory...to be continued. Again.

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?

Closing thoughts.