ALABAMA
Alabama’s blowout loss against Clemson on Monday night sent shock waves across the college football landscape.
Though Tigers coach Dabo Swinney doesn’t believe his program can be considered a dynasty just yet, others in his profession think we’re seeing the end of the Crimson Tide’s reign atop the sport.
Nicole Auerbach, a national college football writer for The Athletic, tweeted that a P5 defensive coordinator told her the game represented the “beginning of the end of the dynasty.” Judging from the timestamp on the tweet, the text she received came during the second half of Alabama’s 44-16 loss in Santa Clara, California.
Text from a P5 defensive coordinator: “Beginning of the end of the dynasty”
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) January 8, 2019
One could see this as a knee-jerk reaction to a single game, especially considering the Crimson Tide is still coached by Nick Saban and has the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class this year. On the other hand, Clemson doesn’t appear to be fading from the national picture any time soon and will bring back a host of talented offensive players next season.
Only time will tell if Alabama’s star has begun to wane.
TUA TURNTHEBALLOVA
So original….Facebook memes must be your go to source for trolling
Man we’ve never heard that before after a loss *eye roll*
It’s possible. Every great dynasty falls st some point. Bama is still loaded so even if it was the beginning they have the talent to beat most teams without any coach at all. If it is the beginning then the end is probably still several years away.
I completely agree. Every dynasty does fall at some point and there’s a high-water mark before they do, signifying the greatest extent of achievement. You have to wonder, did 2018, in which both the 2017 season’s national championship game and the 2018 football season were played, see the high-water mark for Saban?
Yeah, eventually someone will be right with these takes, just the way it is. As a Bama fan, I won’t start to worry the dynasty is over until recruiting starts to take a serious dip.
Notice the DC isn’t named-he doesn’t want AL coming after his team.
The same thing was said about the Pats 8 years ago, how did that work out? Unfortunately for those of us in the SEC Bama won’t suck until Nick retires.
Apparently Dabo is heir to the throne so Bama may never suck again. Ever.
Dabo had better learn from Rich Rod and stay where things are good. There is no logical reason for him to go to Bama after Saban retires.
Gotta love knee-jerk reactions. Love how people went from “Greatest Bama team ever!” to “beginning of the end” overnight. Oh and before xx ilmd xx aka ClemsonTime comes to remind everyone, I am apparently a Bama fan pretending to be a UGA fan.
That sounds exactly like something someone pretending not to be a Bama fan pretending to be a Georgia fan would say.
The guy has been posting for a while now on UGA articles…. If you believe what ilivmydawgs and clemsontime (DD2) says I have a plot of land on the moon to sell you….
lol I wasn’t being serious, just making a dumb joke
So to not sound like someone pretending not to be a Bama fan pretending to be a Georgia fan, I must jump on the Bama hate train? Seems kinda sad to me. It’s okay to love your team but also respect greatness. I promise it doesnt hurt.
I was only joking, seesh. That comment was completely in jest.
Ah, good. My first response was “oh no, i usually like boxster’s posts” however, DD2 and ILMD allies are everywhere lol. To you though, my sincerest apologies for my sickening sensitivity.
No worries at all, I appreciate the kind words. I enjoy your posts as well.
It was all over in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, and now again in 2018…… Bama tends to do well when people start saying it’s over…
yep, hope the narrative all off season is that Bama is done and the dynasty is over. 90% of the offense coming back and imagine after the poor showing last night, 90% of the defense will be coming back as well. A few juniors on the D-line outside of Q lost some draft stock last night, a senior year would bode well for them.
The end of the dynasty will come when Saban retires. Even then, if Bama hires a complete idiot the residual talent will still propel the Tide to maybe a playoff appearance and top 10 finishes.
That won’t happen until recruiting starts to wane for the program, and that won’t happen until Saban is long gone, and that won’t ever happen, it feels like.
It doesn’t feel like it because it won’t. Once he retires from coaching he’ll still have a hand in Alabama recruiting somehow. Maybe he’ll have a statue built with some crazy clever one liner that motivates recruits enough to commit on the spot. Who knows? Let’s just hope Kirby sneaks one or two or 7 natty’s in somewhere.
This wasn’t just a case of Clemson players went out and played harder than Bama’s players. These teams looked different that the entire Bama program seemed inferior from the coaching staff to players to the water boy. Watching that game who do you want to come run your program Dabo or one of his coordinators or Saban or one of his?
This game represents a serious question in Sabans ability to maintain a program at the level he aspires to and of course if that becomes the case he is a victim of his own success. Just the same this represents a chink in the Saban-Bama mystic and armor that could send ripples through the college football world, when other coaches may seriously be able to question how much longer Legend Nick will be around to recruits, will that help hasten his inevitable decision to finally call it a career?
One bad game does not define Saban’s legacy. Alabama will be fine.
That wasn’t one bad, game, that was one REALLY bad VERY BIG game. Just the same I never argued that this ended or erases the Saban dynasty, but Saban is no young guy, and he clearly doens’t NEED the headaches or paycheck that go with the job either.
The score seemed a lot more lopsided than it was. Alabama’s offense wasn’t horrible last night. They gained yards, but they couldn’t score when they needed to. The D-line was really good at stopping the run, and did a decent job of getting penetration at the LOS. Our secondary was the weakness, and that’s because we replaced our entire secondary from 2017.
We’ll be much improved on defense next year, and the offense should be just as good if not better with Enos calling the plays. Everyone knows that, but it’s the offseason and people need to relish in a rare Alabama loss.
It was a bad game but how often do you see these kinds of games from Bama where it was a bad game? It happens from time to time (Hint: UGA games for one) but they have always found a way to win. Alabama played absolutely terrible this game and unfortunately it was against the best team in the nation. Burned coverage in secondary, lack of pressure on the QB, and 2 picks cost them. Saban is still the GOAT. Nobody will remember all the a$$ whippings he handed out this year but everyone will remember Alabama getting beat by 28. Nobody said this team was the best ever till the media started it. Everyone knew the defense was young and inexperienced but the offense always bailed them out. Offense played good enough to win the game.
@dellav8r yes this “kind” of game is unusual for Bama, and that hints very much at the point. Saban can’t keep his assistants around because they are constantly being hired as a promotion to run other programs.
All college programs have player churn, Saban has to deal with both player and staff churn at a level almost no other coach has to deal with. Again, a victim of his own success may be a “good” problem but none the less it is a problem. Would Nick be happy with a 9 to 10 win program that consistently challenges to reach Atlanta as the top end?
Every season it’s the constant grind of year round recruiting plus training a new set of coaching staff. He has already done it all, he has nothing left to prove, why not enjoy the twilight years with his wife at a posh lake/beach house, fishing and playing golf. It’s not like he hasn’t earned it.
@Tigurr – ‘He has already done it all, he has nothing left to prove, why not enjoy the twilight years with his wife at a posh lake/beach house, fishing and playing golf. It’s not like he hasn’t earned it.’
I get what you’re saying here, and sure he will some day, but if you’ve heard him talk about retirement, you have to know that Saban is wired completely different, he doesn’t know what it’s like to do those things daily and I doubt he would enjoy doing those things on a day to day basis given he’s been apart of football and a team since he can remember.
Well, that was a good old fashioned country butt whopping. But, it was a great year. Roll Tide!!!
I’m not drinking the Kool Aid, but this does feel different than the PO loss to OSU (miracle comeback) or the nipped-at-the-finish loss to Clemson in the NCG two years ago. Bama got their asses flat out handed to them, and that’s new territory. 2019 will be very interesting.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Dabo stays at Clemson when Saban retires. What would be the upside of stepping into Saban’s shadow after building a dynasty of his own? He’s already been there, what, 10 years? Probably 15-ish when Nick finally says “see ya”? Mama’s reach that long? I dunno.
I guess the best scenario would be to go pro and if that didn’t work out AND Bama was hunting then come back to to Bama. Just like Saban. Otherwise it would come across too much as a betrayal.
Denial.
That’s the first step in the process.
Considering they didn’t lose a game in the SEC, I don’t see it…
What are they 56-4 last 60 games? Yea, looks like Saban forgot how to coach. Sooo much overreacting all over the place, Tua didn’t have his A game and Clemson was smoking freaking hot, you see that 1 handed catch?!? Be’s like that sometimes…Go Gators!!!!
The second half of the Miss State game showed that the Alabama offense could be nullified with enough pressure.
14-1, winning the sec championship game, beating OK, and going to the national championship game cannot possible mean “the beginning of the end”
Go ahead and poke that there bear….they will be back. I would like to know what the heck was in that Gatorade though.