Since Jan. 4, 2007, the Alabama Crimson Tide has been ruled by 1 person: Nicholas Lou Saban. On that day, a reeling shell of a once-proud championship program announced it was going all-in on a detail-obsessed coach with a reputation for being, um, direct.

Even with his championship lineage from LSU and blessed with an eye-popping contract, nobody could have seen the heights that were around the corner — 5 national championships, 6 appearances in the College Football Playoff and 7 SEC crowns.

The 14 seasons of the Saban Era have been unprecedented in modern college football. Each season is unique, of course, and Saban himself wouldn’t even rank them if he was hooked up to a polygraph test. But that won’t stop us. Here are his 10 best Alabama teams …

10. 2008 (12-2 overall, 8-0 SEC, No. 6 final ranking)

You never forget your 1st time. And the 2008 Tide was Saban’s 1st team to go undefeated in the regular season — and Alabama’s 1st undefeated regular season in 14 years. It began with a 34-10 beating of then-No. 9 Clemson in Atlanta (which helped trigger the Tigers to fire Tommy Bowden and hire some former Tide walk-on …) and ascended to No. 1 in midseason. Saban took the Tide to LSU and earned a huge 27-21 overtime victory to clinch the SEC West, hammered Auburn 36-0 in the Iron Bowl to snap the Tide’s 6-game losing streak to the Tigers, but lost 31-20 to Florida in the SEC title game. Alabama ended with another loss, dropping a 31-17 decision to Utah in the Sugar Bowl. But it was clear bigger things were coming.

9. 2014 (12-2 overall, 7-1 SEC, SEC champs, No. 4 final ranking)

Such an up-and-down year for Saban’s Tide, which saw then-No. 1 Alabama lose to Ole Miss 23-17 and barely beat Arkansas 14-13. But the Tide avenged its 2013 Iron Bowl loss by outlasting Auburn 55-44. From there, Alabama won its 3rd SEC championship under Saban by whipping Missouri 42-13 to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff as the top seed. But Ohio State was simply better than the Tide in the Sugar Bowl, winning 42-35.

8. 2018 (14-1 overall, 8-0 SEC, SEC champs, No. 2 final ranking)

Ranked No. 1 to start the season after winning the program’s 17th national title in 2017, expectations were sky-high in 2018. Alabama swept through the regular season on the strength of superstar quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and edged Georgia 35-28 in the SEC Championship Game behind backup quarterback Jalen Hurts. Tagovailoa was back for the Playoff semifinal Orange Bowl, which the Tide won 45-34 over Oklahoma to earn the right to play Clemson for the 4th straight season. But the national title game was all Tigers, as Trevor Lawrence dissected the Tide 44-16.

7. 2016 (14-1 overall, 8-0 SEC, SEC champs, No. 2 final ranking)

Saban’s 10th season started with the Tide ranked No. 1, and the Crimson Tide ran through the season undefeated for the 3rd time in Saban’s tenure and first since 2009. The Tide destroyed Florida 54-16 in the SEC Championship Game for the program’s 26th SEC title and 5th for Saban at Alabama. A Peach Bowl Playoff semifinal matchup against Washington was a piece of cake, as Alabama cruised 24-7. But Alabama fell 35-31 to Clemson when Deshaun Watson hit Hunter Renfrow on a last-second touchdown in the title game to snap Alabama’s 26-game winning streak and win the national title. This team actually ranks as Saban’s best on College Football Reference’s Simple Rating System.

6. 2020 (11-0 overall, 10-0 SEC, SEC champs, Rose Bowl participants, TBC …)

Still a work in progress, but this season lands high on the list due to an undefeated march through the SEC during an unprecedented season due to COVID-19. Alabama was tested by new Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin in a 63-48 shootout win, and again by Heisman candidate Kyle Trask and Florida in a 52-46 victory in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama earned the No. 1 seed in the CFP, and will take on Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2021. The Tide could also have 2 Heisman Trophy finalists, as quarterback Mac Jones and wide receiver DeVonta Smith turned in record-setting seasons.

5. 2015 (14-1 overall, 7-1 SEC, SEC champs, national champions)

Ranking national championship teams is like ranking your own children, but here goes. Alabama began the season ranked No. 3, but lost in its 3rd game of the season to coach Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss. They dropped to No. 12 and then No. 13 before rebounding to run the table, pounding Auburn 29-13 to win the SEC East, and defeating Florida 29-15 on the strength of Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry’s dominant performance in the SEC title game. Alabama then crushed Michigan State 38-0 in the Cotton Bowl Playoff semifinal and outlasted Clemson 45-40 to win the national title.

4. 2011 (12-1 overall, 7-1 SEC, BCS national champs)

Probably the main impetus for the BCS to morph into the CFP, Alabama won its 14th national title and 2nd under Saban this season. The 2nd-ranked Tide lost the “Game Of The Century” against No. 1 LSU 9-6 in overtime, but rebounded to win its final 3 games — including a 42-14 destruction of Auburn — to earn the No. 2 spot in the final BCS rankings just 1 spot behind their SEC West rivals. The Alabama-LSU rematch was all Crimson Tide, as a dominating defense swamped the Tigers 21-0 in the Sugar Bowl for Saban’s 3rd national title ring. The shutout was fitting: Alabama allowed just 12 TDs in 13 games.

3. 2012 (13-1 overall, 7-1 SEC, SEC champs, BCS national champs)

Earning back-to-back national titles was especially sweet for Alabama in 2012, with only Johnny Football’s transcendent performance spoiling an otherwise dominant season. New conference member Texas A&M shocked the Tide 29-24 to help propel unconventional redshirt freshman QB Johnny Manziel into the national spotlight and eventually the Heisman Trophy. But Alabama overcame a late rally to beat Georgia 32-28 in the SEC title game to clinch the No. 2 ranking, and then crushed No. 1 Notre Dame 42-14 in the BCS National Title game — winning consecutive national titles for the 1st time since 1978-79. No team has won back-to-back crowns since.

2. 2017 (13-1 overall, 7-1 SEC, Sugar Bowl champs, CFP national champs)

Alabama started the season 11-0 and appeared on cruise control, only to lose 26-14 to No. 6 Auburn in the Iron Bowl to finish 11-1 and outside the SEC Championship Game picture. But the Tide earned the No. 4 spot in the CFP rankings, becoming the first team to be selected for the Playoff after finishing 2nd in their own division, and drew No. 1 Clemson in the Sugar Bowl.

Alabama avenged the previous season’s CFP title game loss to the Tigers, winning 24-6 to give the senior class an NCAA-record 52 wins. Alabama took on Georgia in the CFP title game in Atlanta, and Saban benched starting quarterback Jalen Hurts at halftime for freshman Tua Tagovailoa. The rest was history, as Tagovailoa rallied the Tide into overtime and eventually hit fellow freshman DeVonta Smith on a 2nd-and-26 TD pass in overtime for the walk-off winner. Saban’s 6th overall title tied him with Paul W. Bryant for the most all-time in the poll era, and was his 5th at Alabama.

1. 2009 (14-0 overall, 8-0 SEC, SEC champs, BCS national champs)

You always remember your 1st time, and for a generation of Alabama fans, 2009 was a season of them. Still Saban’s only undefeated season at Alabama, 2009 featured drama (a 12-10 victory over Tennessee via Terrence Cody’s blocked field goal at the buzzer), comebacks (rallying to beat Auburn 26-21 in the Iron Bowl), redemption (beating 2008 Heisman winner Tim Tebow and Florida 32-13 in an SEC title game rematch) and a Rose Bowl. Texas was the victim that night in Pasadena, as quarterback Colt McCoy was injured in the first half and Heisman winner Mark Ingram ran wild on the Longhorns in a 37-21 victory.