Alabama football: 2019 Tigers vs. 2020 Tide? Joyless Murderball by 3 TDs
While is virtually impossible to compare athletic teams from different generations — though we succeeded here by correctly crowning the 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide as the best unit in program history — it is altogether a different debate when comparing teams just a year apart.
Perhaps the most interesting of the many subplots that came out of Monday’s College Football Playoff title game — a 52-24 Alabama win over Ohio State — was the following question: If the 2019 LSU Tigers played the 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide, which team would win?
The answer, dear reader, is simple: Joyless Murderball would win by 3 touchdowns.
Before the entire populace of Baton Rouge (229,493, with about 750,000 teeth spread among them) gets its corndogs in a bunch, you gotta hear the argument out. And we say hear, because, well, reading sometimes is an obstacle. 2020 Alabama would whip 2019 LSU not because 2019 LSU was a pedestrian tackle football team. Oh no, 2019 LSU was mighty good. Dare we say, bordering on great.
But there hasn’t been a college football team like the 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide in recorded history. And luckily for future contenders to the throne, there probably won’t be again.
Breaking it down …
Quarterback: Advantage, LSU
Joe Burrow was a once-in-a-century quarterback who basically never blinked in 2019, winning the Heisman Trophy in runaway fashion by throwing for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns against just 6 interceptions. Mac Jones also turned in an unforgettable season, finishing 3rd in the Heisman voting with 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdowns against just 4 interceptions. But Burrow just meant more — not a lot, but enough — to LSU than Jones did to Alabama.
Running back: Advantage, Alabama
The toughest matchup of them all. Clyde Edwards-Helaire was spectacular at times for LSU in 2019, rushing for 1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns. And Najee Harris? All he did in 2020 was rush for 1,466 yards and 26 touchdowns. Edwards-Helaire also caught 45 passes for 453 yards and a touchdown, while Harris caught 43 passes for 425 yards and 4 touchdowns. You could argue Edwards-Helaire over Harris just as easily as you could argue Harris over Edwards-Helaire. But give Harris 2 more non-conference games to romp around for a half each, and he blows Edwards-Helaire out of the water.
Wide receivers: Advantage, Alabama
DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.
Do we really need to say more? And when you factor John Metchie into the Tide’s receiving corps, they best the very fine duo of LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson in 2019. Incredibly, the 2019 Tide — with Smith and Waddle teamed with future NFL standouts Henry Ruggs AND Jerry Jeudy to terrorize secondaries — was even better than the 2020 version.
Offensive line: Advantage, Alabama
Tide left tackle Alex Leatherwood, left guard Deonte Brown, center Landon Dickerson, right guard Emil Ekiyor and right tackle Evan Neal were the most dominant offensive line Alabama has ever had — and that’s saying something. Collectively, they won the Joe Moore Award for the best offensive line in the country, and Leatherwood captured the Outland Trophy and Dickerson the Rimington Award. Dickerson and Leatherwood were unanimous All-Americans. Opponents earned only 19 sacks against them. LSU’s offensive line also won the Joe Moore Award in 2019 despite only twice starting the same lineup in back-to-back weeks.
Defensive line: Advantage, push
LSU’s 2019 defensive line gave up 121.5 rushing yards per game, which is a great number. Alabama’s 2020 defensive line? Just 113.1 rushing yards per game, and that doesn’t allow for the non-conference cupcakes that the Tigers had on their schedule last season. Alabama in 2020 piled up 35 sacks in 13 games, while LSU earned 37 sacks in 15 games.
Linebackers: Advantage, LSU
LSU’s Jacob Phillips racked up 56 solo tackles and 113 total stops. Patrick Queen had 37 solo tackles and 12 tackles for loss. K’Lavon Chaisson led the Tigers with 13.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
Alabama’s Dylan Moses returned from a knee injury in 2020 make a team-high 36 solo tackles and 76 total stops in 13 games. Christian Harris made 27 solos and a team-high 79 tackles with 4.5 sacks. Christopher Allen collected a team-high 13 tackles for loss along with 6 sacks.
Defensive backs: Advantage, push
Another position of strength on both sides. Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous All-American. LSU’s Grant Delpit won the Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back.
Special teams: Advantage, Alabama
After a 2019 in which Alabama arguably became the goalpost-hittingest team in America, Will Reichard simply did not miss. The sophomore made all 14 of his field-goal attempts AND all 84 of his point-after kicks. That’s 98 perfect kicks. Reichard also was a directional-kicking ace on kickoffs, effectively cutting the field in half vertically for the Tide’s kickoff coverage team. LSU’s Cade York made 21 of 27 field-goal attempts and 89 of 93 point-after kicks.
Alabama’s Smith returned 11 punts in 2020, and he took a punt back 84 yards for a TD against Arkansas. Alabama averaged 14.95 yards per punt return. LSU returned 2 punts for TDs in 2019, with Trey Palmer and Micah Baskerville hitting the house, but the Tigers averaged 10.89 yards per return.
Coaching: Advantage, Alabama
From an assistant-coaching perspective, this is essentially a push. LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady revolutionized the Tigers’ air game and fine-tuned Burrow into a machine that could not be stopped. Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian molded Mac Jones into a game-managing superstar who could quickly interpret whatever a defense presented and find the weakness.
But where this goes the Crimson Tide’s way is under the big headset. Nick Saban’s 7 national titles — 6 at Alabama in 14 years — firmly plants him atop the summit of the sport. Ed Orgeron was fired at Ole Miss and Southern Cal before landing at LSU with what is looking more and more like a 1-hit wonder offense.
Intangibles: Advantage, Alabama
LSU’s 2019 effort was legendary, without question. Scoring 48.4 points per game and allowing opponents 21.87 points per game is a season for the record books. But the Tigers did it with Georgia Southern and Northwestern State on the early-season slate.
Alabama piled up 48.46 points and allowed 19.38 points in an all-SEC regular season and run to the CFP title. No cupcakes on the rotation, and the Tide didn’t even get SEC East lightweights South Carolina and Vanderbilt. The Tide got it done in unquestionably the most trying season since World War II, as COVID-19 and opt-outs ravaged teams from coast to coast. Alabama didn’t have a single superstar miss a snap with COVID-19, and they had injured players like Waddle and Dickerson pushing to opt IN for the national championship game.
Add it all up and the Alabama Death Star wins going away. Oh sure, Burrow and Co. would keep it close for a half and maybe more. But just as Alabama beat down all their opponents in 2020, eventually, the Tide would get their way.
bama would’ve won the game vs LSU last year if it wasn’t for the sorry defense.
Bama’s D was better than LSU’s (#5 vs. #7 in the SEC)
yea but if we had the defense we had this year we wouldve won
Certainly.
If If If my uncle had boobs he’d be my aunt… you guys are so bored with winning you’re trying to figure out how to claim a national title you already lost. Sad.
Calm down, sport. This is a *what-if* article and folks are just talking football.
True but by late season, LSU’s D was right up there with Bama’, which wasn’t anything to brag about. Same D this year. UF nearly beat you and look how their bowl ended up. Yes, players missing but still.
“Same D this year” Huh? Bama’s 2020 D is #1 in the SEC.
“UF nearly beat you” So? Auburn and Alabama nearly beat LSU last year. Do you have a point?
Bama’s D was hit with major injuries last year so give them a break.
The injury that hurt us the most for the LSU game was Tua’s ankle and coming off surgery and not allowed to practice with the team for 3 weeks before the game. It took him till 1/2 way into the 2nd qtr before he found his timing and rhythm by then LSU lead was too big to overcome. However Bama did make it a 5 point game at end.
Fair take.
LSU won a shootout last year due to an early turnover from Tua. The Tide were every bit as good as LSU last year. LSU was great btw and earned everything. But they squeaked past the Tide and Auburn. 2020 Bama had one close game, against an all SEC schedule, and it was never really in doubt. But the reason 2020 bama would win is Smitty, LSU could not stop 2020 Smitty.
agreed
What nonsense. That take is as goofy as the article. Wassan is about as credible as Scribe.
Goofy article… uh, maybe. Nonsense…no. SP+ grades 2020 Alabama as the greatest team ever and that’s been a widely held opinion the last few days. Much the same as it was for last year’s LSU team. To compare the two is just football talk…it’s what fan-atics do
Is it goofy though? I mean Tua wasn’t 100%. Remember he was only a couple weeks removed from his ankle surgery. Have to think that fumble at the goal wouldn’t have happened if he was 100%.
You can think what you want. LSU was blowing out Alabama and Bama never had the ball with the chance to take the lead. It was a fairly easy win.
55-17 is a very easy win..
@LSUSMC “fairly easy win” … as if you weren’t sweating bullets when Bama lined for the on-sides kick. :)
Reminder: Tua had just hit DeVonta for an 85 Yd TD pass cutting the lead to 5 points. With a successful kick, Tua has the ball about mid-field with 1:21 on the clock. Big IF, didn’t happen, so let’s just go with Joe Burrow’s “total domination” BS.
tijihllis you could make that claim if the UF game never happened. In no way last year did Bama appear to dominate in the LSU game. Also, though Mac is good, he would have turned it over more than once as opposed to Tua. Burrows has also more targets that actually get more than 3 catches outside of Bama’s two receiver stars. Bama still can’t stop prolific passing. Evidence by what Trask did to you. Burrow’s would have buried the Bama D and pretty much what happened last year would repeat.
Lol you’re delusional. The Tide was not that great last year. You guys got dominated by LSU in the first half. The game was never as close as the final score indicated even when you made the comeback it was too late. Auburn and especially Florida played LSU much tougher than Bama did. Auburn was a hair’s width from beating them, and Florida was in a virtual tie until the beginning of the 4th quarter. You guys got beat by Auburn who lost to Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Minnesota give me a break. Enjoy your win this year but don’t go about spreading idiocy and declaring that the 2019 Bama team was as good as LSU 2019.
Nonsense. The game *was* as close as the final score indicated. Alabama outscored LSU 28-13 in the second half and had the on-sides kick been converted, 1:21 was *not* too late for Tua & Co. score the winning TD.
Dude y’all are just…just… reaching. Y’all lost TWO – count’em, TWO – games last year and came out ranked 8th.
You know what they say about The Nile river in Egypt…
Nothing there but facts, Tigah Dude.
Love me some facts 9mmD, like your last 2 sentences. Your first 2 sentences, well, Bammer opinion. Here’s another fact…the Tide was never in the position to take the lead during the entire game. “If’s” don’t count.
Dude they literally want to stretch their inbred logic to everything. The LSU Bama game last year was not the same as the Florida Bama game this year. Why? First of all Bama had a huge homefield advantage they should have not been dominated like they were in the first half. Yeah Florida got dominated by Bama in the first half, but they had no homefield advantage, and unlike Bama, no defense to speak of. On top of that, talent wise, LSU was more similar to Bama in 2019 than Florida was to Bama in 2020. Bama should have won that game and they lost. The spread predicted Bama to win by 17 points against Florida and they barely beat them by 6. Apples and oranges. LSU thoroughly beat Bama in 2019 whether they like it or not. There was no point when the game felt close because unlike the Florida Bama game, Bama never managed to shut out LSU for an entire quarter like Florida was somehow able to against Bama this year.
Woulda coulda shoulda.
Uh no, it’s a big IF. Hypothetical.
Yeah with same logic, florida was one score from beating bama this year.
Florida was one score from beating Bama… That’s not a hypothetical..
Do you have a point?
I would say more like an extra 90 seconds and a timeout away from beating Bama. With the way Florida’s offense was rolling in the second half, they were virtually unstoppable Bama just got lucky because of bad clock management on Mullen’s part at the end of the first half.
And if Mullins strategy of sacrificing the LSU game (according to you) to focus on the Bama game had worked, the SEC would not have has a team in the playoffs. Good thing Bama held on.
had*
Takes a little luck to go undefeated. LSU got lucky last year when Tua, untouched and inexplicably, dropped the ball at the goal line. Total fluke.
Imperialdumba$$…. Below is what you just said about Bama vs LSU last year… You could apply that statement to this years Florida game….
“You guys got dominated by LSU in the first half. The game was never as close as the final score indicated even when you made the comeback it was too late. “
#BamaTime you’re a retard please go kiss your sister or something and let the rest of us civilized folk have our intellectual discussion all you do is insult your betters when they trigger you with facts. First of all, Bama had a huge homefield advantage against LSU unlike Florida against Bama. Second of all this is how the game went…
“LSU went up 46–34 with 1:37 remaining with a seven-yard touchdown run by Edwards-Helaire, but Alabama scored on their next play with an 85-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa to DeVonta Smith with 1:21 remaining. Alabama’s onside kick attempt was recovered by LSU’s Justin Jefferson, and, after a first down run by Edwards-Helaire, LSU kneeled out the rest of the clock to win the game, 46–41.”
Bama had no time whatsoever to beat LSU the game was over. You tried using your timeouts but LSU got a first down and you ran out of timeouts and lost. Florida stopped Bama the only difference is that Florida did not have the luxury of timeouts so they lost with their ball in their hands, whereas LSU kneeled the game to an end. If Florida had as many timeouts as Bama did when LSU got the ball back, Florida would have likely had more than a minute to score another touchdown. Whereas Bama had their timeouts and they still couldn’t stop LSU from getting a first down.
Florida Bama was closer than LSU Bama. It is what it is. Can’t help it that you’re an immature fool that gets triggered by everything and everyone.
Not that facts and logic are going to work on some of this crowd, but thanks for making the effort ImperialMajesty. Nice post…
The article breaks everything down nicely.
After reading the entire piece, I’ve come away thinking that the 2020 Tide team does appear to be superior to 2019 LSU team.
I think the argument here centers on the OOC games. Bama could have really padded the stats with a couple of cupcakes on a normal schedule.
Both teams were magnificent.
The conference was full of cupcakes this season. The virus played havoc with everything.
LSU being a cupcake doesn’t mean everyone else all the sudden is…
What was MSU score? You are giving LSU to much credit. Cupcake?
Bro the conference overall was terrible this year. Did you see how Florida the second best team was blown out in the bowl game!!
Florida wasn’t the second best team… You don’t even know how the standings work..
Danoh, you’re really using Florida’s bowl game as the determining factor of the overall strength of the SEC? That’s pretty funny!
The SEC finished with a whopping four teams in the top 25, exactly the same as the B1G, Big 12, and ACC. It was a down year for the conference overall.
When you play an all conference schedule instead of padding your schedule with cupcakes less team will be ranked…
And even with the all conference schedule they only finished with one less rank team as compared to last season…
Last season, LSU beat five teams that finished in the top eight. This season, Alabama beat five teams that finished in the top 25. I’m not saying that makes them better, but it certainly takes away any argument of Bama playing the tougher schedule.
That’s completely ridiculous. How many SEC teams were in NY6 games? And this was a DOWN year? Delusional statement. Roll Tide
Try looking at the rankings. The conference only finished with four ranked teams. That’s well below average for the SEC.
The SEC was a bit distorted this year with no OOC play and four teams dominated the win column. Once the bowls began, though, the SEC beat a record number of ranked teams, including squads that would not have made a bowl in a normal season due to their losing records in all-SEC play. Florida and Auburn’s post-season eggs do not define the conference for 2020.
Head to head, I’d take the over.
The unnecessary shots at LSU and their fans in the first few paragraphs lost me. 2020 Alabama very well may be better than 2019 LSU but Dave lost all credibility after those first few lines, sounds more like a fan boy posting on a message board than an actual journalist.
I know – I expected to see it devolve into a discussion of his “sweet Hawaiian prince” – Tua.
Did you really expect anything less from Wasson in one of his overwrought fan fiction pieces?
Pathetic writing on this website. They kiss up to the team of the moment.
LSU is like that blind hog that finds an acorn every now and then and acts like they are relevant! And before y’all start talking about how much talent was lost, from previous year, Bama lost just as much! It’s amazing how losing talent and injuries only affect Bama’s opponents! For example, in the National Championship, Bama started the game minus three significant starters and by the second half were down five starters, yet all you hear about is the ones that the osu didn’t have!
Bama didn’t lose near as much. The draft easily proves that.
This is a crack post lol. “Bama lost just as much talent”. LOL LSU lost nearly all their top draft’s. C’mon talk sense..lol.
Bama fans are more arrogant than their head coach. And he’s about as arrogant as you can get.
Does it matter? It still only counts as winning a single NC…
Yes, winning, not voting yourselves national champs decades ago..lol TN could have done the same thing but didn’t.
It’s kinda of fitting a UT fan is talking a whole different era of football seeing how they’re currently trash..
LSU is 1-9 against Alabama since 2011. The only way they can stomach this is to think of that 1 team as the greatest of all-time. That is no longer the case. They will be on here trashing this article all day, even though we all know it’s true.
1. 1971 Nebraska
2. 1995 Nebraska
3. 2001 Miami/2019 LSU
5. 1972 USC/2020 Bama
Neither one are the greatest of all-time.
Check out the top article at espndotcom, NCAA football.
SP+ grades 2020 Alabama as the greatest team ever.
SP+ isn’t a ranking per se, it’s a predictive index based on teams/data during a particular season. It’s good for comparing teams who have data in the same season and I do think the CFP should use it as a tool to help determine their rankings as the season goes on, but they don’t.
Yes, I understand what it is. I guess you didn’t look at the article, so…
“I’m not here to tell you which stats or algorithms to believe. There are plenty of good systems out there, and they all tell interesting stories. I like my SP+ ratings, because of the depth of the stories I can tell with them. I’ve run them with complete play-by-play data going back to 2005, and I’ve created estimated versions of them from 1883 to 2004 based on game results and scores. It provides solid predictive accuracy in the present and contributes wonderful historical context for a lot of the writing I do.
I say all of this for one specific reason: SP+ thinks more highly of Alabama’s 2020 team than any other team in the history of the sport.”
Yes, but that’s compared to other teams with 2020 data. It’s not saying they are the best team ever. They were easily the best team this year, no one is arguing that, and SP+ is saying they were the best team this year by far.
No, that’s not what he’s saying. But hey, if you think 2020 Alabama splits #5 with the 72 USC team, I can respect that opinion while not agreeing with it. Roll Tide.
I do think after 1 and 2 all of those are certainly debatable and can be interchanged.
Those Nebraska teams from that era couldn’t stay on the field with these two teams. Remind me who the Miami QB was. Those teams were great during their time. It’s long past.
Yeah, but you can’t do that. Probably 90% of today’s ballplayers are better than The Babe. But, he is still considered the best.
So if the argument is, who was better than the competition at the time, that’s fine. If the debate is, who was actually the best team, you gotta put them on the field, just like people are doing now with the 2019 LSU team and this Bama team.
Yes
Sorry booches, that ’01 Miami team is #1 alltime without a doubt.Hell Frank Gore’s still playing!
That’s funny. Ken Dorsey isn’t beating either of these teams. And one guy playing 20 years later has no bearing on anything.
What BS from Wassan. Condescension a bit. Being Alabama is such high society.
QB just barely LSU? Heisman trophy. 50% more TDs. Yeah barely
I’ll give you RB just because Najee Harris is a freak of nature
Give OL just because.
Receivers? Come on. Smith is great. Waddle didn’t play. Jeudy and Rugg were 2019. Chase, Jefferson, Marshall and Moss. Sorry Bammers.
DBs Surtain is good but can definitely get beat. Jeudy, Rugg, Smith and Waddle couldn’t beat LSU in 2019.
All in all I thought the 2019 Bama team was better than 2020
“Mac has my respect but this is not what the article is about. Bama has had a good year but not the best ever. Numbers don’t lie, Bammers do”
You have done your fair share of contributing to the nonsense… Not all LSU fans are full of $hit but you are…
At least I contributed. You, not so much.
Contributing to a stupid take isn’t something to be proud of…
Well unless you’re stupid..
Burrow wasn’t going to be beat last year. Period.
And Mac wasn’t going to be beat this year. Period.
Mac wasn’t as strongly or consistently challenged this year as Burrow was last year. Not his fault. He had a great season, but Burrow faced a harder season last year. Would Mac have folded in any of the situations Burrow was in last year? That’s the question…
IMO Burrow is the winning intangible that fanboy Wasson refuses to acknowledge in his homer article.
Mac also didn’t have Ga southern and NE state to pad his stats against…
True BamaTime. There might have been a few easier SEC games along the way this year, but true. In any case those games did nothing but let Burrow continue his tune up – y’all didn’t have as much of that this year. It was hard to persevere this season with everything going on and leave it to Bama to be the ones to do it. As for who would win the hypothetical game I don’t see us agreeing…
Just look at these offensive numbers comparing 2020 Bama and 2019 LSU:
Points per game: 2020 Alabama 48.5, 2019 LSU 48.4
Yards per game: LSU 568, Alabama 542
Yards per play: LSU 7.9, Alabama 7.8
Success rate (no garbage time): Alabama 59.3%, LSU 57.4%
First downs per game: Alabama 28.1, LSU 27.9
Third-down percentage: Alabama 58.9%, LSU 49.7%
Total QBR: Alabama 95.9, LSU 94.7
It certainly is very close and you can take either and have a solid argument. That 3rd down percentage number by Alabama this year was historically great.
Good post…however, one addendum: Mac’s QBR increased to 96.1 after the Championship game. Historic number.
I have said multiple times that there certainly is a legitimate debate here if people want to do that. To pretend that either side has an overall advantage is just silly. Both could definitely beat the other on any given day.
Exactly. Florida took Bama down to the wire. Last year’s LSU team was more than 6 points better than Florida, in my opinion. I still think this year’s Bama would have found a way to win it against Burreaux’s Tigers, but boy, I wouldn’t want to bet any money on it.
You’re right on target. There’s a good debate, but I don’t see anyone running away with a 3 TD lead in that hypothetical game.
I could be wrong, but I don’t remember bama ever leading in that game. Also don’t recall bama defeating 7 top 10 teams unaffected by covid and opt outs. So this is a comparison of apples and bowling balls!!
LSU didn’t beat 7 top ten Teams.. Please say game time rankings.. I want to laugh..
It goes down in the history books as 7 top ten wins… but since you want to do end of season rankings here you go…
Final #2 Clemson by 17
#4 Georgia by 27
#6 Florida by 14
#7 Oklahoma by 35
#8 Alabama by 5 in Tuscaloosa
#14 Auburn by 3
#25 Texas by 7 in Austin
And #26 (also receiving votes) Texas A&M by 43
No it doesn’t… It goes down in the history books with what their final rankings were…
MSU isn’t getting credit for beating a top 10 LSU team this season… They’re getting credit for beating that $hit that LSU trotted out on the field in game 1…
Just looked at the record books… here is what I saw… read it and weep gump.
Notable Wins: No. 9 Texas (45-38), No. 7 Florida (42-28), No. 9 Auburn (23-20), No. 3 Alabama (46-41), No. 4 Georgia (37-10), No. 4 Oklahoma (63-28), No. 3 Clemson (42-25)
LMAO.. So they beat the number 9 and 4 team twice?
Look at their game time ranking isn’t looking at the record books…The dumb $hit you post can only be made up by you…
Lol
I gave you “gametime” and end of year rankings…
LSU clearly had the better season, the best season ever. Deep breath gump, stings the nostrils.
You simpleton, if they were not top 10 when they played them, they obviously couldn’t say they beat 7 top 10 teams! Everyone understands that except you!!
Lol BamaTime sometimes has trouble with the obvious.
Yep, it’s the opponent’s ranking on gameday that’s the matter of record.
Now with the CFP committee, not so much. I remember in ’17, by the end of the season, Bama got almost no credit for a “quality win” over #3 FSU in the season opener…all because Bama knocked out QB Deondre Franscois for the season and their W-L record suffered badly. They ended up unranked. Still, per the record, Alabama beat #3 FSU that day.
Actually that’s not… You can play a team that’s not in the top 10 when you play them but they finish in the top 10 at the end of the season…
If they finished in the top 10 you beat a top 10 team.. I seems you and the dumba$& that co-signed are clueless as usual..
No, Take a look at our 2017 record, any source ya please. Bama beat #3 FSU in the opener.
Let me explain to you in a way *maybe* you can understand.
“If they finished in the top 10 you beat a top 10 team.”
The CFP Committee *would* say that and so can you. HOWEVER, if they were ranked 18th the day you beat ’em, the record books will always indicate you beat #18.
What record book?
Not sure what record books are. But, if you go to ESPN’s website, they show UGA beating #7 Auburn, #14 Tenn, #25 Mizzou, and losing to #2 Bama and #8 UF.
I suppose some site will recognize that UGA did not beat a ranked team in 2020?
Does it really surprise you two that the NCAA, SEC, etc. keep records and those records would be bound in a book? College Football predates the digital age ya know.
The NCAA record book doesn’t list Game time ranking so you didn’t find it there…
So while you’re trying hard to be a smarta$$ what record book did you look in? I’m thinking neither of you actually looked at any “record book” but went and looked at past schedules which some do show the game time ranking…
So instead of talking out your a$$…. What record book?
Oh and those record books are online where you can actually look at them…
Again, short-bus. Look at our 2017 record, any source ya please. Bama beat #3 FSU in the opener.
The LSU receiver group was better than the Bama group in my opinion. Smith is absolutely great, but Chase isn’t far off from that and Jefferson was a way better #2 than what Bama had there for the season. Marshall and Waddle were both injured at times, but were outstanding when playing.
Chase is the best of them all.
The intro is a bit condescending – talking about poor dental hygiene in a football article?
Still, I can’t argue with the football logic except to say that it would probably be closer than a three TD game. Florida took Bama down to the line. No disrespect to this year’s Gator team which was really good, but last year’s Tigers were much better.
This year’s Bama team was better than last year’s LSU team, but it would have been a close game, and a fun one to watch.
What do you expect from someone who kisses their sister goodnight in their trailer?
And no, the greatest college football player of all time Joe Burreaux would have ate this bama team up for breakfast.
No, Joe Burrow got a 3 point win over Auburn and a 5 point win over 2019 Alabama – Certainly ate neither of ’em for breakfast. This year, 2020 Bama, no way.
If all things are equal take the better QB. Burrows>> Jones. Jones is good, but he’s not even top a top 5 pick at QB much less overall. Burrows was #1 overall..
Then take Jones. Mac has a 96.1 QBR. Highest grade in the history of the metric.
3 TD’s is too much imo. Way too much. I could see Bama winning a close game (I am a homer so overall I think LSU was better) but 3 TD’s? LSU was better than 2020 UF easily imo and 2020 UF held them to within 6. Also don’t understand why you need to take shots at LSU’s fan base. We get Bama had an unbelieveable year and we congratulated them for it…
LSU 19 > bama 20..recency bias is hilarious & bama fans always think their current”whatever position or team” is the greatest ever…smh.
Smith’s not even the best WR in bama history, Julio was. He just didn’t have a offense to prove it.
Smith is statistically the best WR in SEC history
Since we’re talking hypotheticals and clickbait articles, shifting gears here’s a question related to Waddle…
Based on (I assume his and Nick’s) decision to play with the end result of a very noticeable limp and clearly unable to run and cut no where near like the old Waddle, do you think it hurt his draft stock?
My opinion, getting out there and ultimately having to hobble around was not a wise decision as far as his pro career goes, I think it will cost him millions in a pretty big descent down the draft board…thoughts?
I know nothing about draft stocks, but do know it was Jaylen’s decision (if not down-right insistence) to play and to continue playing with the pain. And he played pretty darned well with 3 key receptions. I can’t imagine that hurting his prospects.
You could be right. Interesting to see how it shakes out. Waddle was projected early season as a top 3 WR pick. Based on last year the top 3 averaged 8 to 9 mil signing bonus and next 3 averaged 4 to 6…
I as a GM would be a little leery and money cautious when choosing between say an injured Waddle versus maybe a healthy Toney but what do I know, my GM resume was rejected by the Jets
Smith & Chase are the 2 top WR’s by far. Waddle better be combine ready or you’re right his stock will suffer.
I don’t think so.
While these HYPOTHETICAL articles are amusing to read, henceforth let’s dispense with the “weaklings of the East” references! HYPOTHETICALLY, I’m sure my Gamecocks would have acquitted themselves nicely against Bama! In fact, it’s probably a BLESSING that Bama did not play us this year! The sheer exhaustion of having to kick extra points and kickoffs might have damaged their awesome kicker (who should have won the Groza) and poor Mac Jones’ arm would have been worn out prematurely tossing so many deep, undefended passes! And let’s not forget how fortunate Najee was not to have to hurdle all those attempted tackles! So let’s just concentrate on what Bama REALLY did to much better teams than us and leave the “what ifs” to The dabo!
Nonsense. If all this were true, Bama should have never lost to Auburn last season. Sorry but all the stars mentioned in this article were still playing and still good lost that game and were on this team. We basically saw these two teams play last year and LSU won. Push on D? Thats a stretch when you consider LSU’s D was more solid by years end last year than Bama’s this year. I don’t care how good Coral is, allowing them to hang 48 on you is late season uglies. We saw it in the UF game as well. LSU had a plethora of receivers. Bama has two greats and the others are lucky if they got 3 catches a game. A running game that isn’t elite by itself but worked in a tangent with Bama’s elite passing but that running game, goes away and cannot stand alone against top 5 D without passing. Evidence by what TN was able to do against them last year after Tua was out. Same D this year. Mac Jones isn’t Tua, and he’s not Trevor.
LSU last year 54 Bama this year 48
Sorry but the GOAT team was the team that was never scored upon. Tennessee Vols 1939 squad!
That LSU wr core had what 3 or 4 first rounders compared to bamas 1 or 2? Advantage clearly LSU.
LSU 2019 won the award for best offensive line… yet advantage to bama? What a joke.
Defensive secondary a push? Are you kidding me? Several NFL first rounders on that DBU team compared to what maybe 1 on 2020 bama.?!
Didn’t Ohio state sit several players for this game courtesy of covid? This national championship does feel more legit than say bamas 1964 natty but only slightly.
I can’t wait to see what the NCAA does about Alexander being paid… paying coach O to take your program back to the 90s is awesome to watch…
Keep digging watson!
The NCAA is the one doing the digging…
Still waiting…
BamaTime you know it’s a really bad look wanting harm to come to others even your rivals.
Harm? Being punished for cheating isn’t harm… It’s not like the NCAA is covering up sexual harassment or assault..
What he said.
Keep justifying your loser attitude it’s just awesome to watch.
Nobody is getting harmed if the NCAA punished LSU…
You don’t think it would actually help prevent harm if someone is covering Up sexual harassment/assault?
I’ve got my popcorn ready…
Completely agree
I forgot to mention lsu 2019 had the jim Thorpe award winner… advantage clearly lsu
Very well said with great points!!
Different teams, with different circumstances. Covid made the year challenging for Bama. No doubt the Tide was easily the best team in America in 2020. They beat 3 teams ranked in the Top 5.
LSU beat 7 ranked teams in 2019, including 4 ranked in the Top 5. Both great teams, why try to say one is better than the other?
Bama is better year in and year out. I do think more folks nationwide were enamored with LSU and Joe Burrow than they were with Mac Jones and his talented bunch.
You’re right. I think either could win on any given day. You’re right that they fawned a bit more over LSU, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it was just different than Bama. I think last year everyone was just happy to have someone other than Bama or Clemson dominate.
To all who don’t know, LSU has more natties since 2000
not named bama, than any team in the country including cleamson.
Or the same as Florida since ’96.With many less SEC championships than the gators.
See how u can slant arbitrary stats?
This is a pretty ridiculous take.
LSU 2019 is the only 15 and 0 SEC national champion.
LSU 2019 had 7 top ten wins.
We had the AP coach of the year and the Broyles award winner.
We had the best offensive line, the best wr, the best db, the best qb, and the best player in college football.
This really isn’t even a contest. By the numbers LSU 2019 is way better than bama 20.
I am not sure you have looked at the numbers that closely…
1971 Nebraska is the only team even close to playing a season as great as 2019 LSU… and its not even close really.
It’s funny that you’ll argue this to the death if it came to that because you know 2019 LSU was all you had to hang over Bama’s head and now that is gone. It must really upset you that there is even the thought or narrative out there that 2020 Bama had a better season.
Both were historically great teams.
False. 2020 bama was just that… the national champions of 2020.
And 2019 LSU was the NC of 2019… Nothing else..
What’s funny is Bama had all of those as well. The only thing is they didn’t technically have best DB, but Surtain was definitely the best this year, and Delpit was probably not last year.
Wrong again.
Only a bama fan would glorify 2020.
What’s wrong is to make light of what those kids on this team accomplished this season. Seeing as during the semifinals you predicted a Clemson, and then once they got beat, Ohio State, blowout win, you have to at least think Bama beat good teams, seeing as you sang their praises before Bama played them. I believe the game between 2019 LSU and 2020 Bama would be great, and either could win. It’s unfair to say that what 2020 Bama did should not be glorified, as no team ever has won 11 SEC games before. Or gone undefeated while playing those games. LSU beat a lot of good teams, but what Bama didn’t have that LSU did was spring and summer practice, and cupcake teams sprinkled in the schedule. Bama had to be good in a hurry, in the second week, when we played the now ranked top five Aggies squad. Bama played a lot of great teams, so don’t act like it isn’t something to appreciate and glorify. This championship cemented Saban as CFB’s best coach.
@bamalife16 it is pointless to argue with an idiot like this. They just bring you down to their level. This dude would not know football if someone shoved one up his back passage.
bamalife, NO team had spring or summer wtf are u talking about?!
2019 LSU did. smh.
This is a pointless article designed to start a ridiculous argument. Really?
I mean.
“Before the entire populace of Baton Rouge (229,493, with about 750,000 teeth spread among them) gets its corndogs in a bunch, you gotta hear the argument out. And we say hear, because, well, reading sometimes is an obstacle.”
This is how Saturday Down South reports news articles to multiple fan bases? Insulting a fan base? Being elite because of some APSE national award crap?
This article and David Wasson makes the SDS brand look really bad. Talk about Cancel someone. David Wasson needs to be canceled.
He is obviously still butt hurt LSU had the greatest team ever in 2019… STTDB!
Roll tide what!?
I’m pretty sure nobody is upset after seeing the LSU football team take the field this season… Won of the worst “defending” Champs ever..
55-17
One of these dumbass writers actually put LSU ahead of Auburn after reg season even though AU ended with a better record & beat LSU by 4 touchdowns…smh.
I can’t believe you guys fell for this crap. How do we get clicks? Why just post a what if article and watch those silly people go at it. I think I lost 20 IQ points just reading the thing. Thank goodness I have them to lose.
Thank goodness I have them to lose…
Shut the door on your trailer, it’s cold outside.
This is the most condescending article you could ever write. It epitomizes why people hate Bama. It’s because of their obnoxious fans and the sportswriters that follow them. Burrow doesn’t beat Mac by much huh? Unreal.
This front the guy who coined the term “Sweet Hawaiian Prince”.
You may not call Evan Neal a superstar now, but he is probably a top 5 pick in the draft next season. He missed the Arkansas game with COVID.
Never heard of her
LSU 2019 would have kicked Bama 2020’s a$$ just like they did in 2019. Just saying. I don’t like either team but LSU 2019 beat a bunch of top 10 teams in a normal year. To me there’s no debate. The Dawgs led Bama at halftime this year with a walk on QB. And the clown Gaturds gave you a scare after they lost to LSShoe. No way this Bama team is greatest of all time. Just the best out of a bad year for everybody.
PREACH BROTHER MAN PREACH!
IT PISSES BAMA OFF SO BAD THAT WE HAVE THE ONLY 15 AND O SEC NATIONAL CHAMPIONS AND THE GREATEST SEASON AND PLAYER OF ALL TIME. THEY TRY TO COMPARE BEATING A 7 WIN COVID STRICKEN OHIO STATE IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TO WHAT WE DID BUT WE ALL KNOW THE GOAT WAS BURREUAX AND DA BAWS!GUMPS… STTDB!
Yep, … the colored glasses of recency bias are afoot.
Recency bias didn’t take long. BAMA 2020 was great, but didn’t slay as many ranked giants as 2019 LSU. The test was passed on the field.
How do you push on Alabama’s D-Line when they played an All SEC schedule and played ND, and Ohio State? Come on man, that line is much better against good competition.
You’re bragging about playing ND??? That team had zero business being in the playoff. None. You played UT and Mizzou, a horrible MSU & LSU plus a AU team so bad they fired their coach. Screw that “ALL SEC” crap. The conference was down by a lot this year and you can see it in the rankings.
Your vaunted Defense almost gave UF the game. Just shut up already.
Alabama is the greatest team of this generation and I’m glad as hell they beat OSU. They’re my second favorite SEC team.
With that said, my UGA Dawgs played both, with very similar teams except we had a walk on QB behind center in 2020 as opposed to 5 star Jake Fromm. From this, I’ll say LSU was better.
LSU carved us up last year from kickoff. They were up 17 at the half as I recall. They had fixed the defensive issues they’d had earlier in the season. This year, we led Bama at half and were in the game until the fourth quarter with our walk our no star QB behind center. With a better QB, maybe (MAYBE) we win. I can’t say that about the LSU game. We never had a chance. LSU could have scored 100 on Oklahoma. 2019 LSU was offensive perfection.
I stopped reading after the writer went out of his way to repeatedly make fun of lsu fans. 2019 LSU > 2020 TIDE.
Yep, bowl season is definitely over! And now we’re back at each other’s throats. Maybe 2021 actually will feel like a normal year!!
In all seriousness, 2019 LSU and 2020 Bama stand head and shoulders as the two best teams I’ve ever seen in my 49 years. Both fan bases should be proud.
Oh, and f Auburn. Bowl season IS over after all.
Head & shoulders? Miami ’01 is the best EVER still.
Respectable option … but you have to ignore the metrics.