What slows down the Alabama train

big red23

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Dec 15, 2003
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Thats what I was thinking too, but would it? I think they have been dominating for so long, and have such a solid recruiting base that they could plug anyone in and it would keep rolling.
We said the same thing about USC not too long ago... coaching matters!
 
Jan 7, 2006
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I'll echo what others have said: Saban retiring or a finding of NCAA violations resulting in extreme sanctions would certainly do it. I'd like to pose a couple of other possibilities; first if Saban were to stay too long we could expect the machine to come apart (look at Bowden's last decade at FSU or Paterno's final decade at PSU). Bama's success under Saban, much like our success under Osborne is largely a result of a head coach enforcing a culture of excellence with his staff and players, if Saban starts losing the energy to do this Bama will begin to slide little by little until the wheels fall off completely. A final possibility is that Bama remains an excellent program, but someone surpasses them. If I had to bet I would say that Saban retiring is the most likely cause of the end of Bama's present golden age.

As to Dabo taking the job, I think it's possible, but there are a couple of things that make me think it's not likely. First, he has already established himself in a great position, why would he try to follow up what Saban has done? On the flip side, especially if Clemson wins on Monday, he might feel compelled to see what he can build and maintain in Death Valley.
 

1 nu rugby_rivals

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Sep 1, 2004
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John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball player and head coach at the University of California, Los Angeles. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood," he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period as head coach at UCLA, including a record seven in a row.
Fun Fact: my 3rd uncle
 

B1G RED RULES

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Sep 7, 2013
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After seeing these recruits declare for Bama. Having the the #1 recruiting class for 8 out of 9 years. I am sitting here thinking what is it going to take to slow down the Bama train that has been steam rolling for almost a decade? I know teams have stretches of ups and downs, I just don't see Alabama slowing down any time soon. It is really depressing to think we could have another 10 years or more of Alabama dominating. Maybe put a cap on star recruits. Similar to NFL salary cap. Teams can only have 2 5 star,10 4 star in any recruiting class. Maybe that would help split the talent up a bit
Not a big fan of trying to put restraints on winners. Didn’t like it when folks tried to do it to the 90’s Huskers, don’t like it any better now that we have long fallen from relevancy. Just like Tom Osborne retiring, it will likely take Saban retiring.
 
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B1G RED RULES

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Thats what I was thinking too, but would it? I think they have been dominating for so long, and have such a solid recruiting base that they could plug anyone in and it would keep rolling.
I thought the same thing for Nebraska in 1997...
 
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Dean Pope

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Oct 11, 2001
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After seeing these recruits declare for Bama. Having the the #1 recruiting class for 8 out of 9 years. I am sitting here thinking what is it going to take to slow down the Bama train that has been steam rolling for almost a decade? I know teams have stretches of ups and downs, I just don't see Alabama slowing down any time soon. It is really depressing to think we could have another 10 years or more of Alabama dominating. Maybe put a cap on star recruits. Similar to NFL salary cap. Teams can only have 2 5 star,10 4 star in any recruiting class. Maybe that would help split the talent up a bit

The thing that gets me is Alabama pulling in top kids out of the south like New Jersey and Texas. Bringing in a monster like Alfano out of New Jersey just doesn't seem fair. More teams need to be like Georgia be able to win recruiting battles against Saban.

That said, look at the number of kids they've signed over the years. Looking at 28 this year, 22 last year, 29 in 2017, 24 in 2016. 103 recruits over four years not counting any fifth year kids. Sure, Alabama has had a few kids declare early for the draft each year, but that doesn't come close to accounting for all of the over signing. The NCAA needs to bring in a rule like the old 8/5 basketball rule to restrict teams from signing so many players only to push them out the door if they don't perform well early in their careers.
 
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Baxter48_rivals204143

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Sep 22, 2010
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The thing that gets me is Alabama pulling in top kids out of the south like New Jersey and Texas. Bringing in a monster like Alfano out of New Jersey just doesn't seem fair. More teams need to be like Georgia be able to win recruiting battles against Saban.

That said, look at the number of kids they've signed over the years. Looking at 28 this year, 22 last year, 29 in 2017, 24 in 2016. 103 recruits over four years not counting any fifth year kids. Sure, Alabama has had a few kids declare early for the draft each year, but that doesn't come close to accounting for all of the over signing. The NCAA needs to bring in a rule like the old 8/5 basketball rule to restrict teams from signing so many players only to push them out the door if they don't perform well early in their careers.
Your going to have a lot of push back from schools like Troy since most of there kids come from schools like Alabama,Auburn and many others, plus the NCAA is a over bloated bureaucracy that frankly doesn't care fof example North Carolina basketball. IMO once they moved there head quarters from kc is all about money for the NCAA
 
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Ewooc

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Nov 29, 2010
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That dolt could wreck Alabama in record time. Big difference between Alabama and Nebraska - they would never even read the resume of a loser like Riley.
Yeah that has to be the most mind boggling hire of all time
 

Solana Beach Husker

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Aug 7, 2008
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I am willing to bet that there are more 5 star recruits riding the bench at almost any individual position at Bama than there are 5 star recruits in all of the B1G West. We’ll see Bama in the title every year until recruiting gets fixed.
you mean big 10 west gets fixed....I mean if my son had a choice between Iowa or Alabama.......
 
Sep 29, 2001
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After seeing these recruits declare for Bama. Having the the #1 recruiting class for 8 out of 9 years. I am sitting here thinking what is it going to take to slow down the Bama train that has been steam rolling for almost a decade? I know teams have stretches of ups and downs, I just don't see Alabama slowing down any time soon. It is really depressing to think we could have another 10 years or more of Alabama dominating. Maybe put a cap on star recruits. Similar to NFL salary cap. Teams can only have 2 5 star,10 4 star in any recruiting class. Maybe that would help split the talent up a bit
What slows down Alabama? Saban's retirement, whenever that happens.
 

9and4_rivals188421

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Dec 4, 2013
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The thing that gets me is Alabama pulling in top kids out of the south like New Jersey and Texas. Bringing in a monster like Alfano out of New Jersey just doesn't seem fair. More teams need to be like Georgia be able to win recruiting battles against Saban.
Alabama's recruiting in New Jersey and other states is historically ironic in that it has been nearly 50 years since SEC schools, generally, and Alabama, specifically started recruiting every player in the South, let alone players from the North and West.

Bear Bryant's calculation that he couldn't continue to compete for national championships with an all-white roster flipped the switch and stopped the mass exodus of Southern players to Northern and Western schools, and particularly to historically black universities, which fielded great teams even through the '70s and '80s, but have been diminished in their competitiveness since.

Look at the 1965 and 1966 Alabama teams that Nebraska played — all white players, but still powerful and nationally relevant. When Nebraska played the Tide again in 1971, one black player had made it into the starting lineup. When Nebraska played Alabama in 1977 and 1978, 15 African-Americans were in the official Tide team photo. It took a while for the University of Alabama — and the rest of the SEC — to fully emerge from its segregationist past, but it did.
 

t7w0c1_rivals

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Jul 1, 2013
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After seeing these recruits declare for Bama. Having the the #1 recruiting class for 8 out of 9 years. I am sitting here thinking what is it going to take to slow down the Bama train that has been steam rolling for almost a decade? I know teams have stretches of ups and downs, I just don't see Alabama slowing down any time soon. It is really depressing to think we could have another 10 years or more of Alabama dominating. Maybe put a cap on star recruits. Similar to NFL salary cap. Teams can only have 2 5 star,10 4 star in any recruiting class. Maybe that would help split the talent up a bit
A B1G commish that is willing to let its teams over recruit so they can get the best players possible and allow them to play 8 conference games. Also play as few of road games in the non conference as possible against FCS teams. Alabama has not had a true road game since 2011. I think Alabama also has almost 50 people working on their staff.
 
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oldjar07

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Oct 25, 2009
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After Saban retires, they'll drop off pretty quickly. Even if they're able to hire Dabo afterwards, I still see them not able to sustain the level of success they're currently having.
 
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TruHusker

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Sep 21, 2001
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Sad that the road to becoming competitive with the best requires the best to falter. It would appear the consensus thinking is they come down when Saban retires. Could it be equally as possible they stay the same or even get better? It's like wanting to be the top 10% of a class hoping those ahead of you leave.
 

huskerssalts

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Oct 6, 2014
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I remember this exact same talk back when USC was owning everyone they played for years and years in the early 2000’s. I said it then, USC will eventually fall and they did. All the giants eventually fall, like our Huskers in the 90s, we fell so did Miami and so did USC.

Bama will probably fall when Saban steps down or they get sanctioned hard. I know a few think Clemson’s Head Coach will jump all over Bamas job when Saban steps down and he MIGHT. But yes also making himself a monster at Clemson and by the time Saban steps downs that HC will have made him self a huge mark with Clemson and may never walk away until he retires or it all falls apart. Bama will fall like our Huskers, Miami, USC and the other giants did. It always happens.
 

TruHusker

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Sep 21, 2001
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[QUOTE="huskerssalts, post: 4916218
It always happens.[/QUOTE]

"Always" is pretty definite. There are always exceptions to the always. As I stated earlier TO did OK after taking over for Bob, Lincoln Riley has done OK at OU. I agree that on average, the trend is not always up but you can't always count on it.
 

NUSouth

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Oct 25, 2009
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Thats what I was thinking too, but would it? I think they have been dominating for so long, and have such a solid recruiting base that they could plug anyone in and it would keep rolling.

Same thing that derailed USC a few years ago. Get caught, coach forced to resign

A college team can rise very quickly with a couple outstanding players especially if one of them is a QB such as Louisville and Clemson did.
 

huskat

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Jan 27, 2005
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It is very rare to see the number of high profile recruits just stacked at every position, especially in this day and age of immediate gratification and playing time for elite players. I keep waiting for the "they are full at my position, I'll go here instead" law to apply to Alabama, as it does for most other programs...but it hasn't happened yet.

We also have to be honest with the fact that over any 5-year period, the number of signed players dwarfs Nebraska and most other programs, even inside the SEC. Even Alabama misses on players, but when you have an extra recruiting cycle ever 4 years, due to the number of players you sign every class, you have the depth to overcome. That being said, #1 class make programs better. When you string 8 #1 classes over a 9 year period...guess what...you're gonna be great.
 

14milroe

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Aug 9, 2015
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Thats what I was thinking too, but would it? I think they have been dominating for so long, and have such a solid recruiting base that they could plug anyone in and it would keep rolling.

Yes, when Nick Saban retires, bama will fall back a good bit after a few years I hate to say. There is only one Saban, dude is a great coach, he develops talented players like no other. He is a great communcator to not only the players but to anyone who is willing to listen...
 

Baxter48_rivals204143

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Sep 22, 2010
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The difference between USC and bama so far is that during sc run people started talking way to much the NCAA had to look into it, where as bama so far everything is keep your mouth shut the ole saying loose lips sink ships
 

TruHusker

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Sep 21, 2001
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I predict it will be Georgia. They will beat Bama several times in a row and Saban won’t be able to handle that.
 

GJMagic41

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Aug 31, 2018
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SEC cheats more than anyone. At some point the other teams will demand a fix or the Feds will look around
I remember finding a (surprise) UCF newspaper or something trying to raise funds to launch an investigation against the SEC. I doubt this will work at this present moment.
 

Maui2022

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Jan 2, 2005
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I remember finding a (surprise) UCF newspaper or something trying to raise funds to launch an investigation against the SEC. I doubt this will work at this present moment.
The all winners are cheaters argument is a victim argument that never wins ...
 

barney44

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Oct 2, 2005
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The all winners are cheaters argument is a victim argument that never wins ...

I think it’s a **** argument too but it is the south and the world knows football is a dirty game down there.. Thats not to say no other is dirty but the southeast is cutthroat nation..
 

Maui2022

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Jan 2, 2005
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I think it’s a **** argument too but it is the south and the world knows football is a dirty game down there.. Thats not to say no other is dirty but the southeast is cutthroat nation..
Can't argue that, the level of acceptable corruption throughout society is disheartening. Still can't believe Self is allowed to coach at KU ...
 
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Huskerfan_99

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Aug 19, 2017
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As long as the heads of the NCAA are in place there won’t be any “REAL” investigation. I believe many of them are SEC alums and I know the head official or the SEC is good friends with Saban. NCAA is SEC’s BESTFRIEND!!!
 

huskerssalts

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Oct 6, 2014
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[QUOTE="huskerssalts, post: 4916218
It always happens.

"Always" is pretty definite. There are always exceptions to the always. As I stated earlier TO did OK after taking over for Bob, Lincoln Riley has done OK at OU. I agree that on average, the trend is not always up but you can't always count on it.[/QUOTE]

I agree but one way or another, the giant in those or this, era seemed to fall. If it’s a different coach, sanctions or even both. It will happen to Bama too. There’s just no way Bama just continues doing this over and over and over and over again for years, decades or centuries. If so, people would eventually get tired of it and want something differently enough were recruits themselves would go to a different team just because they refuse to follow everyone else in the past to Bama. That’s just my opinion...or maybe it’s my hopes ;)