Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State. When you think of those three teams, there should be one thing that comes to mind: points. Well, maybe you think of a certain Heisman-winning quarterback’s various off-field distractions. But after that, it’s points, yards and more offense.

Alabama, the fourth team in the playoff field alongside Oregon, FSU and OSU, is a bit unlike the others. Nick Saban teams are rarely defined by their offense, and in the past have been more known for their punishing physicality on both sides of the ball. While that changed this year, Saban is never going to be hailed as an offensive X’s-and-O’s genius.

Does that mean that Saban, long known as one of if not the best coach in college football, is on his way down from the pinnacle?

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Whether or not Saban is an offensive revolutionary like his fellow playoff coaches (he’s not), he still has an absolute master of the most important part of being a college coach: recruiting.

For the fifth straight year, Alabama has the top-ranked recruiting class in the country, per 247sports’ industry composite. Nailing recruiting is a surefire way to remain an annual contender. Each of the last five national champions had at least one top-five recruiting class in the years preceding a championship. Saban has pulled that feat off in every season since 2008, all but guaranteeing Alabama will be a contender.

The questions about whether Saban can get up to speed in an offensive-minded landscape have already been answered. Most know that Saban is not a play-caller for either side. He has the most talented coaching staff in the country to go along with the excellent recruits Alabama brings in. The Crimson Tide have a bevy of former head coaches at both the college and professional level on staff. While those coaches implement Saban’s philosophies in what they do, he’s also talked about learning from his assistants.

The name that pops up is, of course, offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. Saban brought in the controversial coach to run his offense this season, allowing Kiffin the freedom to rework the Crimson Tide’s gameplan. While Alabama was still more than capable of running the ball against just about anyone they also spread the field out, sped up the pace and relied on the passing game much more than in previous years.

While that came back to hurt Alabama against Ohio State, as the Crimson Tide didn’t run the ball even as the Buckeyes essentially dared them to do so, it showed that Saban is willing to adapt to a changing college football world. With a new offensive philosophy and an inexperienced team, 2014 marked a transition for Alabama.

Saban and the Tide aren’t going anywhere. So long as they keep bringing in the top high school players in the country to stock the roster, and maintain a coaching staff that’s just as loaded, the Crimson Tide will be in the playoff conversation every year.