Why Alabama's 87-game winning streak vs. unranked teams is more impressive than you think
The No. 1 rankings are nice. The end-of-year parades are pure joy.
But other teams have experienced those things recently, too.
There is 1 thing that Alabama still does better than anybody in the country: The Tide beat the heck out of unranked teams with absolutely zero tears of compassion shed.
Roll your eyes — of course they do, they have better players! — but the fact is, nobody else does this. Nobody else comes close.
Just last week No. 3 Georgia with all of its 5-stars lost to unranked South Carolina.
Upsets happen — unless you wear crimson and have a number on your helmet. Any Given Saturday simply doesn’t apply in Tuscaloosa. Maybe it’s a local ordinance.
Alabama hasn’t lost to an unranked team since falling to Louisiana Monroe in 2007.
Since then, the Tide have won a record 87 consecutive games against unranked teams heading into Saturday’s game against … you guessed it, … unranked Tennessee.
Just go ahead and mark it 88, dude.
How does the Tide’s aversion to upsets compare with the rest of Power 5 teams?
Consider this: 47 of the 65 Power 5 teams already have lost to an unranked team this season.
Or, if you prefer it in picture form, here’s college football’s version of a death pool:
Most recent loss to an unranked team by season
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No days off. No off days.
It’s easy to take games against unranked opponents for granted. Don’t. Appreciate what Alabama continues to do. It’s unique. It’s historic. And nobody else in America is close to matching it.
Let’s take a look, by conference:
ACC
The numbers: 13 of the 14 ACC teams already have lost to an unranked team this season.
Only Clemson has escaped embarrassment in 2019 — and even the Tigers were mocked after nearly losing at North Carolina in Week 5.
Clemson hasn’t lost to an unranked team since falling to Syracuse in 2017. The Tigers have won 19 consecutive vs. unranked teams since then.
(Notre Dame isn’t a football member of the ACC, so the Irish aren’t included in the league stats. The Irish’s most recent loss to an unranked team came in 2016. They also have won 19 consecutive since.)
Big Ten
The numbers: 7 of the 14 Big Ten teams already have lost to an unranked team this season. Six others, including Ohio State and Wisconsin, lost to an unranked team in 2018.
Michigan has the longest active winning streak against unranked teams at 11. The Wolverines haven’t lost to an unranked team since falling to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl to close the 2017 season.
Big 12
The numbers: 7 of the 10 Big 12 teams already have lost to an unranked team this season. Two others, including Texas, most recently lost in 2018.
Oklahoma has the league’s longest active winning streak against unranked teams at 20. The Sooners’ most recent loss was in 2017 to Iowa State.
Pac-12
The numbers: 11 of the 12 Pac-12 teams already have lost to an unranked team this season.
The only team that hasn’t, Oregon, lost to an unranked team in 2018. The Ducks’ streak is at 8 wins.
SEC
The numbers: 9 of the 14 SEC teams already have lost to an unranked team this season. That includes Georgia, which lost as a No. 3-ranked team. Three others, including Florida, stumbled against an unranked team in 2018.
LSU has the SEC’s 2nd-longest active winning streak against unranked teams at 13. The Tigers will try to make it 14 in a row Saturday against Mississippi State.
Epilogue …
As if those numbers don’t put what Alabama is doing in perspective, we’ll leave you with 2 more:
The rest of the SEC’s combined active winning streak against unranked teams is 42 — less than halfway to reaching what Alabama alone has done.
And if you take the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12’s active leader and toss in Notre Dame’s streak, their combined active winning streak vs. unranked teams is … 78.
In 49 states, they play football. But it’s different at Alabama.