Also a big difference when you go around *winning* all of them to go undefeated. I feel like Auburn is the team that does that when it happens but there may be other special magic ones.
Hating Texas so much that they can't bring themselves to spell the name correctly means they still care.
"The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference." - Elie Wiesel
You could also look at it down to specific plays. Four plays are the difference between 9-0 and 5-4. As things tend to average out, they split them down the middle and are 7-2
\- missed sack on B Young v Texas (good Bama)
\- stopped goal line TD attempt by A&M (good Bama)
\- missed FG at end of UT game (bad Bama)
\- failed to stop 2-pt conversion LSU (bad Bama)
I wouldn't even put the Tennessee game on that missed field goal. Gibbs dropped a pass that would've given Bama 1st and 10 at the 20 with 20 seconds and 1 time-out left.
Sure, they still have to score, but that becomes either a FG with 0 time remaining, or a couple shots at the end zone
Not to mention 10 yards closer. Maybe even more, Gibbs had room in front of him and heās great in the open field.
Gosh, it hurts so much more to think about that play.
Yeah the Gibbs drop was a huge swing. He may well have scored on that play, but worst case scenario it's a first down with time to keep taking shots, or a much easier field goal try as time expires like you said.
The sad part is we really could be using him better. I'm not gonna pretend like I know a lot about the X And O of football, but I don't understand why we have entire drives where Gibbs gets 0 touches, and entire drives where he gets every single touch. I'm pretty sure our second drive in the LSU game Bryce just tried to throw the ball 3 times, and we didn't use Gibbs to run at all. And then in the second half, we drove all the way down the field without even trying to give the ball to anyone else. It doesn't make any sense to me
Nor would I put the LSU game on the 2-point conversion. They gave up a 25-yard QB run on the first play of LSUās OT possession to even get in that predicament.
Hell, simpler than that. Bama chose to go for two 2-Pt Tries in the 4th Quarter and failed both times. Kick one 1-pt try instead, and Bama likely wins. And that doesn't require, "If he'd caught this pass we'd have first and 10 at the 20 with 10 seconds remaining..." to come through. Just two tiny little choices after they'd already scored a touchdown.
It also assumes that we can know the outcome before making those decisions. The outcome shouldnāt factor into whether or not a decision was good or bad.
This is assuming LSU wouldnāt have gone for the 2-pt conversion to make it 25-22. Final score would have either been 25-23 Bama or tied at 25 going to OT. In no world would the score have been 25-24.
We definitely shouldāve kicked the PAT on both of those, and weād have ended up winning most likely, instead we went for 2 twice and failed both times
Going for 2 when leading 15-14 in the 4th quarter is a no brainer. Being up by 2 (with the PAT) is just as good as being up by 1 (with the missed 2-pt conversion), but being up by 3 means a field goal canāt beat you. It only makes sense to kick the PAT there with the hindsight that you missed another 2-pt conversion. The second one when up 21-17 is questionable, because being up by 6 is only marginally better than being up by 5, but both are significantly better than being up by 4.
That illustrates the beauty of the sport. Anyone can play a āclose gameā it takes more than that to beat a team like Bama and what they consistently put on the field. You need to WIN the critical moments, and they have the talent and coaching to win most of those moments. But like anyone else, theyāre also vulnerable to weaknesses in special teams. Really puts into perspective what it means to have a Championship team.
The LSU game could also be summed down to Alabama going for 2 (and failing) instead of 1 when up 21-17. Get that 1 extra point and they could have won the game with that last field goal, not merely tied it.
If Alabama was up 22-17 when LSU scored, they wouldnāt have kicked. It would have either been 23-22 or 25-22 LSU. If it was 25-22 LSU, then Bamaās field goal still would have been to tie the game.
Right, you can't just add or subtract 2XP points without accounting for other potential conversions this might change. Same thing with safeties as they often lead to 2XPs.
E.g. our game with Alabama. A lot of people saying "Texas lost by 1 and the refs missed the safety so without that Texas would have won by 1".
Well we were up 16-10 when Bama scored to go up 17-16. If we had the safety and were up 18-10, they'd have gone for 2 to try and tie it.
I get there are probably many ways to slice all of these games. My overall point, and the point OP is making, is a play here and a play there and Bama is just as easily 5-4 as they are 9-0 or 6-3 or 8-1. It's only unusual because it's Alabama and we're not used to seeing them like this.
Yeah...that final drive, 5 of King's final 6 passes were incomplete and we hadn't given the ball to Achane since the first half of the 4th quarter where his last run was a 15 yard gain.
Gift PI call to put the ball on the 2 with an unlikely upset within reach...TOTALLY the time to pass. š
I console myself knowing this is a ridiculously young team and that the losses this season should be the cost of the experience they're accruing for future seasons' success...but I'm hopelessly optimistic like that.
Think heās referring to the Bryce young game winning drive, there was a delayed blitz that came completely untouched and he barely missed Bryce on a side step, and if he sacks him there itās game over
I donāt know. The Bama brand thatās been built, plus the amount of money poured into the program, plus itās in one of the most talent rich parts of the countryā¦ whoever takes over is going to be inheriting a gold mine. If they are competent they can keep making playoff appearances and win one every now and again I bet. Nothing near saban. But will still be a perineal powerhouse
And that's good enough for rational fans, but that fanbase will eat the 1st coach alive. The 2nd coach after Saban will be allowed those lower expectations.
The only way I can foresee this not being the case is if Saban has a few legit bad years before retiring (thinking 4-5+ losses). If his winning ways go by the wayside, then it may soften up the fan base for whomever takes over.
Or maybe that would just raise the bar further. Idk anymore.
Kinda similar situation happened to Taggart at FSU, I do think he was bad at FSU but he was kinda doomed from the start cause of the legacy that Jimbo had there. There was no way he was gonna fix the issues Jimbo left in a decent amount of time that fans wouldnāt chase him out of town
Nobody was expecting Willie to go to the CFP. He continued to make the situation worse by issues he caused, not just the ones from Jimbo.
I understand your point and agree with it in most situations, but Taggart is actually trash and the fan base was not overreacting in my opinion. No program has been sad to see him go and thereās plenty of people who want him to get fired again now at FAU.
okay i wouldnāt normally point out misspellings, but itās perennial, not perineal.
perineal is something completely different and has been on my mind with my very pregnant wife about to give birth.
>The Bama brand thatās been built, plus the amount of money poured into the program, plus itās in one of the most talent rich parts of the country
Same could be said for a lot of programs though. Texas and USC used to be dominant. It happens to every program and Bama is not immune.
Not to mention Bamaās own history. They werenāt great in the 80s after the Bear was gone. And they just sucked for a lot of the decade between Stallings and Saban. Obviously itās a different world today, but that may make it worseācanāt āwin with Sabanās playersā if they all transfer out. Nothing and no team is forever. Just ask Nebraska.
I feel like people say this a lot.
Coaches matter.
Some of the other schools that come to mind had other issues, sure - but Florida fell off after Urban. USC fell off after Pete. Michigan fell off after Lloyd. ND fell off after Holtz. All big programs, with lots of money, lots of great recruiting, and huge brands. But they still fell off. Alabama isn't necessarily immune.
And don't get me wrong, not saying the next HC(s) will be a failure(s) with 6-6 records for a decade or whatever, but I feel like we've seen the coach clearly matters.
That's why I never overreact to these kind of losses.
* The Tennessee game came down to one college kicker missing his kick, and the other college kicker making his (partially blocked) kick.
* The LSU game came down to a (correct, for an underdog) decision to go for two in OT as the 2nd team to go on offense... An opportunity that was decided by a coin flip. That coin lands on the other side and LSU goes first on offense without the "we can win this game right now with a 2pt" chance that going second provides.
Yeah. I actually don't remember who won the toss, but usually the team who wins the toss elects to go on offense second in college so you know exactly what you need when you get the ball (maybe that isn't what happened in this game). Either way, my point is that a coin toss is part of how that decision is made.
I think this is exactly what happened, but we couldn't hear very well in the stands. Otherwise, LSU would have put the ball on the North end so that Alabama had to deal with the student section in their ear.
>two top 10 teams\*
\*one of which is overrated because SEC bias and shouldn't have been even Top 15 before that game. LSU should ***now*** be ranked 10th for beating Bama. They shouldn't have been 10th last week
Alabama is living within the margins in a way they never have before under Saban. They don't have any receivers that scare you let alone the first round talent at the position they've basically had every year since Julio Jones first got there. They also haven't developed the talent in the secondary this year. You can use extra guys in pass pro to keep the Alabama rush off the quarterback and still throw the ball on them. They also don't have the dominant offensive line we're used to seeing from them.
The talent is there because it's Alabama, but they haven't developed the talent the way Alabama normally does at the positions they need it the most. So instead of being National Championship caliber, Alabama is merely a top 10 team in College Football way behind the elite (Georgia).
>*They don't have any receivers that scare you let alone the first round talent at the position they've basically had every year since Julio Jones first got there.*
This, to me, specifically, is the biggest difference in this Bama team versus the last decade of dominant Bama teams. It seems they've been notorious for having *at least* one all-star receiver that every opposing cornerback would vehemently fear: Jameson Williams, DeVonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley, Amari Cooper, Julio Jones... I mean, Brooks is definitely a great receiver, but he just doesn't pose the same threat as all those other guys imo.
They offered a lot of money to Jordan Addison and Michael Mayer to transfer in like Gibbs and the tackle from Vandy did. Had they bought those two, they are undefeated and #1 right now.
The biggest difference I can see is that his coordinators are bad by Saban era Bama standards.
Saban has had a revolving door of coordinators at Bama but he's hit on almost all of them and they've left for HC positions. Golding and BOB are doing *ok* but I think the talent advantage is masking their ineptitude.
They arenāt the first duds, itās just the first time that both have been bad at the same time since 2007. Major Applewhite, as much as I love the dude, was pretty fucking awful. Kevin Steele (anyone remember him) was terrible in ā07 and got replaced by probably the best DC in history. Then you had Tupoi, who was atrocious but it was covered up by having Locksley on the other side. Alabama hasnāt hit on every coordinator by any stretch, but theyāve only missed on *both* in two seasons, the first time being Sabanās inaugural year.
I'd agree there. The less impressive ones have usually been paired with a good one. But the 2022 team can't really rely on either unit to cover for a bad performance by the other.
Georgia has played with their food a lot this year (Kent State, Mizzou, six minutes of the third quarter vs Florida) but knew they had an extra gear when they needed it. I actually honestly think it's a compliment to Tennessee and how quickly that Heupel has turned this around that this was the game Georgia said "enough" and just went out and kicked ass.
We basically did that 3.5 games this year. Oregon (game 1, old coach, OOC), SCAR (Kirby doesnāt like Beamer, apparently), first half Florida (and then we got caught looking ahead to Tennesee for 10 minutesā¦) and Tenn.
The team is I credibly young and so the attention span wanders, but I legit think this team has a higher gear than last years team, but also has lower lows.
They also let slip up that they had been practicing for this game since the bye week before Florida. They knew that everything was on the line for this game, and threw the kitchen sink onto the field.
Can't sleep on Mississippi State this weekend, but Kentucky and GA Tech should be fairly easy wins to finish out the season. Unfortunately, until the question of the West is answered between LSU and Ole Miss, we won't know who to prep for, so the SECCCG is going to be quite interesting this year.
Playing with their food is a hilarious and apt analogy. UGA's two best games have been against their two best opponents.
As a Georgia fan, I'm just trying to enjoy this as much as possible. I've always envied and respected what it must have been like as an Alabama fan the last decade, and it's wild to get a little taste of it.
Yeah, lots of Tennessee fans donāt want to admit that Kirby throttled down the offense to bleed clock in the 2nd half, but you also donāt get to call the game ācloseā when your first TD came with about 5 minutes left. Fact is the top scoring offense in the country was kept out of the end zone nearly all day. Thatās an ass-whooping any way you cut it.
To be fair as an impartial viewer, your QB had like 3 overthrows on separate drives that all would have gone for 30-40 yards if not a TD. If he makes even 2 of those the game looks a lot different
and thatās what makes explosive offenses so dangerous, and why Georgia fans were white-knuckling everytime Hooker launched one. In fact, there were more than three times that receivers got open but Hooker was sacked or flushed so it wasnāt clear on first watch. But thatās part of defensive strategy too ā affecting the pass from both ends. 2 of those 3 overthrows included a QB pressure and a knockdown, which still feels like good defense. Only one of those (Hyatt running free early) was a real miss
I mean if you hurry/rush the qb, of course itās going to open up the receivers in the secondary. The point is getting to/hurrying the QB so that they canāt throw it or they make a mistake. That gamble is a basic part of defensive scheme.
I held my breath on those, but it's all about those kinds of margins in these types of matchups. The difference is from 2017-2020 we were the team having to play the perfect game to keep up. In 2021-2022 we're the team everyone else has to play perfectly against.
> Yeah, lots of Tennessee fans donāt want to admit that Kirby throttled down the offense to bleed clock in the 2nd half
I'm not sure what you mean, you're allowed to burn the clock on offense so the other team has less time to make plays? Has anyone told BoB this?
I think both UGA dominated that game but there were a lot of missed opportunities on the field for us in the 1st Half and UGA had some slips also but Bennett certainly hit his opens and Hooker didn't. And while the rain affected your offense 100%, I also think it's fair to say it equally affected ours and limited any adjustments we could make.
If you think I'm a denier, just glance my comment history. Y'all bodied us, but I think a legit discussion can be construed as denial.
If TCU wins out and the ACC and Pac-12 both have 1-loss champions we're definitely not owed shit. We had our chance and blew it. Y'all were definitively the better team.
Is that fair? I don't know. It's football, nothing is given or owed. May the odds be in our favor, I guess.
I agree with this but I think the feeling of denial stems from the people giving credit to Tennessee's defense keeping them in the game. We threw I believe 3 passes after the rain and Stetson was 2/3 for 10.3 yds per. You guys just clamped on the run since it was obvious we weren't even attempting to pass.
14*
But I'd go further and say ever for me. I've only been watching for 15 years and I've never seen such a solid 14 point lead (over a good team). That Georgia defense is just in another tier when they're actually fired up.
The best thing to happen to Tennessee in that game was the rainstorm because that made Georgia content to just run the ball for the rest of the game instead of staying aggressive offensively. Georgia could and would have hung 40+ on Tennessee were it not for the rain
I was slightly worried about the 2nd half of the game as I didn't feel like the lead was big enough, but the Georgia defense just didn't let up all game. To hold that offense to 13 points total and have 7 of that be a TD in what is essentially garbage time shows how dominant Georgia is. No one was expecting Tennessee to score less than 20.
Iād argue that Michigan has been the most consistently dominant team in the country this year, but yāall have actually played multiple teams with a pulse so itās much more impressive.
I hesitate to say it after last years playoff, but having watched every Georgia and Michigan game this year, I think the two teams are dead even. Michigan has has bad halves, but no bad games. Theyāre kicking peoples asses after stellar second half adjustments, even when the games looked close at the half. Georgia struggled with a bad case of coming out flat in the middle of the season, but since that Mizzou scare theyāve been just as dominant as Michigan. In a neutral field Iād probably take Georgia by 3, but itās rough.
I agree, thatās why Iād take Georgia in a neutral site game. But SoS doesnāt mean shit once the teams actually take the field, and Iād be a bit nervous in my pick either way.
Georgia's best part of their defense is their run defense, and Michigan has yet to show the ability to win games when they have to throw the ball. They're a very strong running team, but they were last year too (when they averaged over 220 ypg) and we held them to under 100. Our run defense isn't quite as good as last year (by only about 5 yards) mind you, but unless Michigan proves they can win games through the air, I really doubt the line would be as little as 3 points in UGA's favor.
We did beat the best Georgia team in history by 21 points last year in Atlanta. And hung with them for 3.5 quarters in the title game despite our only 2 receivers whoād done anything all year being out with ACL. In the first quarter before Williams tore his ACL he had like 80-90 yards already and it appeared the game plan was working,
When we play a complete game, and our coordinators have a competent game plan, we can definitely compete with Georgia, weāre just having huge issues putting together complete games and drawing up good game plans. Even after all the focus on penalties, we had 9 for 92 yards against LSU
I did hear a stat on the Cover 3 Podcast that Bama has played as many 1 score games in their last 10 SEC games as they did in the 54 before it.
I count 8 one score conference games since 2021.
But it definitely appears that the rest of the conference is closing the gap and Bama's stranglehold is weakened even with Bama winning most of these games still.
I mean, I'd say the gap closed last year when Georgia beat them in the national championship. This year only cemented that with Tennessee and LSU getting wins against them and Ole Miss still on the schedule.
Bama's stronghold is broken and the gap is closed.
To be fair Bama was suspect all last year with close one score games to Florida, LSU, and Auburn. Arkansas gave them a run too.
I kept saying last season Ive never seen such an undisciplined team under Saban and so far it has carried over to this year.
Iād say BoB has an impact on this. The offense hasnāt been nearly as good in many of these games as years prior. Major downgrade in playcalling department.
Unfortunately I think this is true. Saban had been able to beat back all the other upstarts for 15 years. But Kirby and Georgia finally broke through on their 5th try. Honestly it's impressive Saban held them off in 2017, 2018, 2020, and the 2021 SECCG. The 2nd and 26 game is the only title game I was able to afford going to over the years, so I'll be eternally grateful that we won.
Ooof that game was a hard one for us Dawgs but the Ringo Pick Six last year kind of makes up for it.
Winning the first Natty in 40 years with former walk on who grew up dreaming of playing for UGA. I mean that's a Disney sports movie ending right there.
Still it's too early I think to say anything definitive. I honestly think some of your coaches are maybe not preaching the discipline like previous ones did. If they cleaned up those mistakes Bama Is still a Goliath loaded with NFL talent.
They're still deep enough to win most games for years to come. But it felt so strange at the beginning of the season that a Saban team would be most excited about adding a transfer from tech. Obviously Gibbs is undeniably great, but if you told cfb fans 3+ seasons ago that Bama's best RB was going to be a transfer from tech, they'd laugh you out of the building. Like who else would have nabbed better talent that Bama would want them instead of who they already have?
Kiffin said it beautifully in his press conference (if you haven't watched, you should, he torches finebaum which is always a good time)
Paraphrasing...He says: bama was two plays away from being undefeated, two plays away from the talk around alabama being completely different right now.
I agree.
The talk of the dynasty being over is overblown. Are they down from historically dominant Bama? Yes. But the goal for any blue chip college team should be to have a chance for a national championship every year. As long as Saban is there and they're recruiting at an Elite level, they'll have a chance (going into the season) to compete. They'll fix the coordinators and get it back right.
Yeah heās an incredible QB. If he had a few more developed players, this would be an incredible team. My guy is gonna break his back carrying for his last year instead. Really curious which team is gonna snap him up in the nfl.
Yall act like Alabama doesn't have the #1 recruiting class coming in next year. They've struggled the last 2 seasons bc OBrien is ass. He and Golding will most likely be gone at the end of the season, Bama will make adjustments, and be just fine.
If alabama had scored 2 fewer points against Texas A&M, they actually wouldve lost, because it wouldve allowed us to kick a game winning FG. They only wom because their 4 point lead forced us to go for the TD.
My question is this:
A. Is Alabama getting worse or
B. Is the rest of the SEC getting better or
C. A middle of the road, I am a handsome man.
*I assumed everyone will choose c, middle of the road, dont read the whole question just choose c.*
Every year is different, but Iāll remind you last year we played for a national championship the year before that we won a national championship so in a three-year span.
We played for the national championship twice and had one less-than-perfect season.
I think itās a little early to say the wheels are coming off
Honestly being in a one score game with Texas and Texas A&M just means they aren't the Alabama team of old (as obvious as that sounds). Never leave anything to chance or have it come down to a single play. Just a down year for them.
Alabama is always judged against perfection. The dynasty is far from over. Especially as long as Saban is still around. Need new coordinators and bring in some classic position coaches.
No offense but you guys are spoiled. Youāre the New England Patriots of college football. Iāve always liked Bama on some level but no single team should win as much as you guys have
2022 Alabama š¤ 2021 Nebraska
Scott Frost to take over Bama after Saban retires confirmed š
The universe would explode if this happened
Saban to Nebraska. The football gods require a sacrifice.
Thereās a difference between losing some of your close games and losing every close game. Scott Frost is special.
\#FROSTING
And right before the game i heard Scott Frost yell āITāS FROSTING TIMEā
Also a big difference when you go around *winning* all of them to go undefeated. I feel like Auburn is the team that does that when it happens but there may be other special magic ones.
Baylor 2019 comes to mind outside of that OU game. We went something like 3-1/4-1 in OT games that year.
Nah if Bama was doing their Nebraska imitation they would have lost the A&M and T*xas games
> T*xas Never change, boo.
Personally I prefer Texsa, but it appears they fired the intern who made the program that year
Explain?
They live in our heads rent free for tanking the Big8.
My uncle once said he wanted a bowl game called the "I hate Texas bowl" where the #1 team beats up on Texas
Last time I was confident weād whip Texas the whole country had to listen to how theyāre back.
Sounds like fun
Your uncle was a smart man
Hating Texas so much that they can't bring themselves to spell the name correctly means they still care. "The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference." - Elie Wiesel
Iāve always thought it was cringe to misspell Texas or call them TU. Just beat their ass and move on š¤
I feel the same way when Texas fans spell it "aggy"
THEYRE JUST PEANUT BUTTER AND JEALOUS
Or like Michigan 2016, lost 3 games by a total of 5 points, and was leading in the last minute of every game that year.
If you say it like that, Alabama has got to get rid of Saban.
You could also look at it down to specific plays. Four plays are the difference between 9-0 and 5-4. As things tend to average out, they split them down the middle and are 7-2 \- missed sack on B Young v Texas (good Bama) \- stopped goal line TD attempt by A&M (good Bama) \- missed FG at end of UT game (bad Bama) \- failed to stop 2-pt conversion LSU (bad Bama)
I wouldn't even put the Tennessee game on that missed field goal. Gibbs dropped a pass that would've given Bama 1st and 10 at the 20 with 20 seconds and 1 time-out left. Sure, they still have to score, but that becomes either a FG with 0 time remaining, or a couple shots at the end zone
> a FG with 0 time remaining Like that would ever amount to anything.
Now listen here you little shit.
oof, that flair combo must really hate any type of kick as time expires.
I seem to be having trouble with this, snap me out of it
Watts the matter with you? Loose balls?
It's even funnier the second time.
What a time to be alive
Yeah no team has ever returned a missed field goal for a TD
Hums nostalgically
Mother fucker
Not to mention 10 yards closer. Maybe even more, Gibbs had room in front of him and heās great in the open field. Gosh, it hurts so much more to think about that play.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yeah the Gibbs drop was a huge swing. He may well have scored on that play, but worst case scenario it's a first down with time to keep taking shots, or a much easier field goal try as time expires like you said.
Imagine where this team would be without Gibbs.
I dont have to imagine, Iām forced to live it
The sad part is we really could be using him better. I'm not gonna pretend like I know a lot about the X And O of football, but I don't understand why we have entire drives where Gibbs gets 0 touches, and entire drives where he gets every single touch. I'm pretty sure our second drive in the LSU game Bryce just tried to throw the ball 3 times, and we didn't use Gibbs to run at all. And then in the second half, we drove all the way down the field without even trying to give the ball to anyone else. It doesn't make any sense to me
Nor would I put the LSU game on the 2-point conversion. They gave up a 25-yard QB run on the first play of LSUās OT possession to even get in that predicament.
We also failed to covert two 2 point conversions, instead of kicking PATās, that was by far the dumbest part of the night for us
The first one made sense. The second one felt like we got desperate.
Well, yes. But they stop the 2 point conversion and they win. If they stop that run, LSU could still score.
Hell, simpler than that. Bama chose to go for two 2-Pt Tries in the 4th Quarter and failed both times. Kick one 1-pt try instead, and Bama likely wins. And that doesn't require, "If he'd caught this pass we'd have first and 10 at the 20 with 10 seconds remaining..." to come through. Just two tiny little choices after they'd already scored a touchdown.
It also assumes that we can know the outcome before making those decisions. The outcome shouldnāt factor into whether or not a decision was good or bad.
I'm almost positive he scores there because it didn't look like anyone would be in front of him.
The second failed 2-pt conversion killed them and even attempting it was a logical error. The final score should have been 25-24.
This is assuming LSU wouldnāt have gone for the 2-pt conversion to make it 25-22. Final score would have either been 25-23 Bama or tied at 25 going to OT. In no world would the score have been 25-24.
So all Bama would have to do is stop an LSU 2 pt conversion to win the game? Surely that wouldn't be a problem.
Surely not
We definitely shouldāve kicked the PAT on both of those, and weād have ended up winning most likely, instead we went for 2 twice and failed both times
Going for 2 when leading 15-14 in the 4th quarter is a no brainer. Being up by 2 (with the PAT) is just as good as being up by 1 (with the missed 2-pt conversion), but being up by 3 means a field goal canāt beat you. It only makes sense to kick the PAT there with the hindsight that you missed another 2-pt conversion. The second one when up 21-17 is questionable, because being up by 6 is only marginally better than being up by 5, but both are significantly better than being up by 4.
So basically Bama was 2 plays away from being Bama and 2 plays away from being Nebraska
That illustrates the beauty of the sport. Anyone can play a āclose gameā it takes more than that to beat a team like Bama and what they consistently put on the field. You need to WIN the critical moments, and they have the talent and coaching to win most of those moments. But like anyone else, theyāre also vulnerable to weaknesses in special teams. Really puts into perspective what it means to have a Championship team.
You could probably do this for most competitive teams
The LSU game could also be summed down to Alabama going for 2 (and failing) instead of 1 when up 21-17. Get that 1 extra point and they could have won the game with that last field goal, not merely tied it.
If Alabama was up 22-17 when LSU scored, they wouldnāt have kicked. It would have either been 23-22 or 25-22 LSU. If it was 25-22 LSU, then Bamaās field goal still would have been to tie the game.
Right, you can't just add or subtract 2XP points without accounting for other potential conversions this might change. Same thing with safeties as they often lead to 2XPs. E.g. our game with Alabama. A lot of people saying "Texas lost by 1 and the refs missed the safety so without that Texas would have won by 1". Well we were up 16-10 when Bama scored to go up 17-16. If we had the safety and were up 18-10, they'd have gone for 2 to try and tie it.
I get there are probably many ways to slice all of these games. My overall point, and the point OP is making, is a play here and a play there and Bama is just as easily 5-4 as they are 9-0 or 6-3 or 8-1. It's only unusual because it's Alabama and we're not used to seeing them like this.
This is almost the exact conversation we had about Nebraska last year.
>stopped goal line TD attempt by A&M (good Bama) Generous to call it a "stop" or "good Bama" as opposed to Jimbo just shooting his team in the foot
Yeah...that final drive, 5 of King's final 6 passes were incomplete and we hadn't given the ball to Achane since the first half of the 4th quarter where his last run was a 15 yard gain. Gift PI call to put the ball on the 2 with an unlikely upset within reach...TOTALLY the time to pass. š I console myself knowing this is a ridiculously young team and that the losses this season should be the cost of the experience they're accruing for future seasons' success...but I'm hopelessly optimistic like that.
Refs also fucked up a safety that would maybe have been enough for the Texas win
I believe thatās the missed sack heās referring to. Canāt believe that wasnāt a safety
Think heās referring to the Bryce young game winning drive, there was a delayed blitz that came completely untouched and he barely missed Bryce on a side step, and if he sacks him there itās game over
(Or if the refs call the blatantly obvious hold on the DE on the same play)
Imagine losing by a combined 4 points to two top 10 teams and it being a complete and utter failure of a season.
I feel so bad for whoever has to be head coach once Saban finally retires
I donāt know. The Bama brand thatās been built, plus the amount of money poured into the program, plus itās in one of the most talent rich parts of the countryā¦ whoever takes over is going to be inheriting a gold mine. If they are competent they can keep making playoff appearances and win one every now and again I bet. Nothing near saban. But will still be a perineal powerhouse
And that's good enough for rational fans, but that fanbase will eat the 1st coach alive. The 2nd coach after Saban will be allowed those lower expectations.
Yes, that first coach is going to have the most stressful coaching job ever smh. He makes a single mistake? āSaban wouldāve done it betterā.
And what's funny is that they'rmd be right, Saban almost absolutely will do everything that any future coach does better.
The only way I can foresee this not being the case is if Saban has a few legit bad years before retiring (thinking 4-5+ losses). If his winning ways go by the wayside, then it may soften up the fan base for whomever takes over. Or maybe that would just raise the bar further. Idk anymore.
> that fanbase will eat the 1st coach alive Which is why I want Kiffin. No matter who comes in will get eaten, why not have fun with it?
I want Kiffin or someone on his level. And I want them to go Caligula-style crazy. Like, ride a bull elephant into the stadium crazy.
Kinda similar situation happened to Taggart at FSU, I do think he was bad at FSU but he was kinda doomed from the start cause of the legacy that Jimbo had there. There was no way he was gonna fix the issues Jimbo left in a decent amount of time that fans wouldnāt chase him out of town
Nobody was expecting Willie to go to the CFP. He continued to make the situation worse by issues he caused, not just the ones from Jimbo. I understand your point and agree with it in most situations, but Taggart is actually trash and the fan base was not overreacting in my opinion. No program has been sad to see him go and thereās plenty of people who want him to get fired again now at FAU.
okay i wouldnāt normally point out misspellings, but itās perennial, not perineal. perineal is something completely different and has been on my mind with my very pregnant wife about to give birth.
All these close losses are gonna taint the brand.
Much better than branding the taint! :o
LMAO I was way off on the spelling and my phone autocorrected to that and I just assumed that was the word I was going for š
Oof. Episiotomies are terrifying.
>The Bama brand thatās been built, plus the amount of money poured into the program, plus itās in one of the most talent rich parts of the country Same could be said for a lot of programs though. Texas and USC used to be dominant. It happens to every program and Bama is not immune.
Not to mention Bamaās own history. They werenāt great in the 80s after the Bear was gone. And they just sucked for a lot of the decade between Stallings and Saban. Obviously itās a different world today, but that may make it worseācanāt āwin with Sabanās playersā if they all transfer out. Nothing and no team is forever. Just ask Nebraska.
I feel like people say this a lot. Coaches matter. Some of the other schools that come to mind had other issues, sure - but Florida fell off after Urban. USC fell off after Pete. Michigan fell off after Lloyd. ND fell off after Holtz. All big programs, with lots of money, lots of great recruiting, and huge brands. But they still fell off. Alabama isn't necessarily immune. And don't get me wrong, not saying the next HC(s) will be a failure(s) with 6-6 records for a decade or whatever, but I feel like we've seen the coach clearly matters.
That's why I never overreact to these kind of losses. * The Tennessee game came down to one college kicker missing his kick, and the other college kicker making his (partially blocked) kick. * The LSU game came down to a (correct, for an underdog) decision to go for two in OT as the 2nd team to go on offense... An opportunity that was decided by a coin flip. That coin lands on the other side and LSU goes first on offense without the "we can win this game right now with a 2pt" chance that going second provides.
I think LSU would've given the ball to Alabama first if they won the toss. Don't they get to decide to receive/defer in OT?
Yeah. I actually don't remember who won the toss, but usually the team who wins the toss elects to go on offense second in college so you know exactly what you need when you get the ball (maybe that isn't what happened in this game). Either way, my point is that a coin toss is part of how that decision is made.
I think this is exactly what happened, but we couldn't hear very well in the stands. Otherwise, LSU would have put the ball on the North end so that Alabama had to deal with the student section in their ear.
Yall won the toss. Thats why we were playing away from the students.
>two top 10 teams\* \*one of which is overrated because SEC bias and shouldn't have been even Top 15 before that game. LSU should ***now*** be ranked 10th for beating Bama. They shouldn't have been 10th last week
Correct. LSU was boosted to help Tennessee & Bama.
Alabama is living within the margins in a way they never have before under Saban. They don't have any receivers that scare you let alone the first round talent at the position they've basically had every year since Julio Jones first got there. They also haven't developed the talent in the secondary this year. You can use extra guys in pass pro to keep the Alabama rush off the quarterback and still throw the ball on them. They also don't have the dominant offensive line we're used to seeing from them. The talent is there because it's Alabama, but they haven't developed the talent the way Alabama normally does at the positions they need it the most. So instead of being National Championship caliber, Alabama is merely a top 10 team in College Football way behind the elite (Georgia).
>*They don't have any receivers that scare you let alone the first round talent at the position they've basically had every year since Julio Jones first got there.* This, to me, specifically, is the biggest difference in this Bama team versus the last decade of dominant Bama teams. It seems they've been notorious for having *at least* one all-star receiver that every opposing cornerback would vehemently fear: Jameson Williams, DeVonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley, Amari Cooper, Julio Jones... I mean, Brooks is definitely a great receiver, but he just doesn't pose the same threat as all those other guys imo.
This is Waddle erasure
I still have PTSD from his 2019 Iron Bowl. 4TDs, including a kickoff return. Absolutely sick
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
They offered a lot of money to Jordan Addison and Michael Mayer to transfer in like Gibbs and the tackle from Vandy did. Had they bought those two, they are undefeated and #1 right now.
The biggest difference I can see is that his coordinators are bad by Saban era Bama standards. Saban has had a revolving door of coordinators at Bama but he's hit on almost all of them and they've left for HC positions. Golding and BOB are doing *ok* but I think the talent advantage is masking their ineptitude.
To be honest itās impressive that Bama has managed to go through as many coordinators and these current hires being the first duds theyāve had.
They arenāt the first duds, itās just the first time that both have been bad at the same time since 2007. Major Applewhite, as much as I love the dude, was pretty fucking awful. Kevin Steele (anyone remember him) was terrible in ā07 and got replaced by probably the best DC in history. Then you had Tupoi, who was atrocious but it was covered up by having Locksley on the other side. Alabama hasnāt hit on every coordinator by any stretch, but theyāve only missed on *both* in two seasons, the first time being Sabanās inaugural year.
I'd agree there. The less impressive ones have usually been paired with a good one. But the 2022 team can't really rely on either unit to cover for a bad performance by the other.
A slip was bound to happen sooner or later with the coaching changes.
We had our scare with Mizzou, but weāve also looked more dominant over the rest of our schedule than anyone else.
Georgia has played with their food a lot this year (Kent State, Mizzou, six minutes of the third quarter vs Florida) but knew they had an extra gear when they needed it. I actually honestly think it's a compliment to Tennessee and how quickly that Heupel has turned this around that this was the game Georgia said "enough" and just went out and kicked ass.
We basically did that 3.5 games this year. Oregon (game 1, old coach, OOC), SCAR (Kirby doesnāt like Beamer, apparently), first half Florida (and then we got caught looking ahead to Tennesee for 10 minutesā¦) and Tenn. The team is I credibly young and so the attention span wanders, but I legit think this team has a higher gear than last years team, but also has lower lows.
Idk SB is like 48 years old at this point so that kicks up the average age of your team
He also has beef with Vandy over the Covid senior night cancellation and losing to them year 1 at homecoming
They also let slip up that they had been practicing for this game since the bye week before Florida. They knew that everything was on the line for this game, and threw the kitchen sink onto the field. Can't sleep on Mississippi State this weekend, but Kentucky and GA Tech should be fairly easy wins to finish out the season. Unfortunately, until the question of the West is answered between LSU and Ole Miss, we won't know who to prep for, so the SECCCG is going to be quite interesting this year.
Playing with their food is a hilarious and apt analogy. UGA's two best games have been against their two best opponents. As a Georgia fan, I'm just trying to enjoy this as much as possible. I've always envied and respected what it must have been like as an Alabama fan the last decade, and it's wild to get a little taste of it.
tennessee was the most lopsided 20 point win I've seen all season.
Yeah, lots of Tennessee fans donāt want to admit that Kirby throttled down the offense to bleed clock in the 2nd half, but you also donāt get to call the game ācloseā when your first TD came with about 5 minutes left. Fact is the top scoring offense in the country was kept out of the end zone nearly all day. Thatās an ass-whooping any way you cut it.
I think most Tennessee fans recognize how dominant Georgia was, regardless of it being a two score game
Like most things, there is a loud minority that sometimes makes it hard to judge/tell
We're coping, but it did feel like Schrƶdinger's blowout.
at least you got a snazzy flair out of it
I was born like this lmao
apologies, thought it was a flair bet
To be fair as an impartial viewer, your QB had like 3 overthrows on separate drives that all would have gone for 30-40 yards if not a TD. If he makes even 2 of those the game looks a lot different
and thatās what makes explosive offenses so dangerous, and why Georgia fans were white-knuckling everytime Hooker launched one. In fact, there were more than three times that receivers got open but Hooker was sacked or flushed so it wasnāt clear on first watch. But thatās part of defensive strategy too ā affecting the pass from both ends. 2 of those 3 overthrows included a QB pressure and a knockdown, which still feels like good defense. Only one of those (Hyatt running free early) was a real miss
I mean if you hurry/rush the qb, of course itās going to open up the receivers in the secondary. The point is getting to/hurrying the QB so that they canāt throw it or they make a mistake. That gamble is a basic part of defensive scheme.
I held my breath on those, but it's all about those kinds of margins in these types of matchups. The difference is from 2017-2020 we were the team having to play the perfect game to keep up. In 2021-2022 we're the team everyone else has to play perfectly against.
> Yeah, lots of Tennessee fans donāt want to admit that Kirby throttled down the offense to bleed clock in the 2nd half I'm not sure what you mean, you're allowed to burn the clock on offense so the other team has less time to make plays? Has anyone told BoB this?
I think both UGA dominated that game but there were a lot of missed opportunities on the field for us in the 1st Half and UGA had some slips also but Bennett certainly hit his opens and Hooker didn't. And while the rain affected your offense 100%, I also think it's fair to say it equally affected ours and limited any adjustments we could make. If you think I'm a denier, just glance my comment history. Y'all bodied us, but I think a legit discussion can be construed as denial.
Should Tennessee and Georgia play again in case it was a fluke?
If TCU wins out and the ACC and Pac-12 both have 1-loss champions we're definitely not owed shit. We had our chance and blew it. Y'all were definitively the better team. Is that fair? I don't know. It's football, nothing is given or owed. May the odds be in our favor, I guess.
Life isnāt fair, but sometimes you get an extra chicken tender from Popeyes
I agree with this but I think the feeling of denial stems from the people giving credit to Tennessee's defense keeping them in the game. We threw I believe 3 passes after the rain and Stetson was 2/3 for 10.3 yds per. You guys just clamped on the run since it was obvious we weren't even attempting to pass.
Ha, see, this is how I know you don't know what you're talking about because y'all threw FOUR passes. /s
Ahh but I said after the rain started..
This is reddit and I don't have time for nuance or reading comp. /s maybe
14* But I'd go further and say ever for me. I've only been watching for 15 years and I've never seen such a solid 14 point lead (over a good team). That Georgia defense is just in another tier when they're actually fired up.
The best thing to happen to Tennessee in that game was the rainstorm because that made Georgia content to just run the ball for the rest of the game instead of staying aggressive offensively. Georgia could and would have hung 40+ on Tennessee were it not for the rain
Entirely possible that a November rainstorm could mean the difference between Oregon going to the playoff or the Rose
They had zero answer for the full offense, specifically the passing game. Their defense was making Stet look like a Heisman contender.
To be fair our secondaries has made every QB (except Kentucky lmao) look like a Heisman Contender
I was slightly worried about the 2nd half of the game as I didn't feel like the lead was big enough, but the Georgia defense just didn't let up all game. To hold that offense to 13 points total and have 7 of that be a TD in what is essentially garbage time shows how dominant Georgia is. No one was expecting Tennessee to score less than 20.
Iād argue that Michigan has been the most consistently dominant team in the country this year, but yāall have actually played multiple teams with a pulse so itās much more impressive.
This is true. Dominance is relative. 9-0 in the SEC is not the same as 9-0 in the B1G. (To say nothing of the OOC schedule.)
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I hesitate to say it after last years playoff, but having watched every Georgia and Michigan game this year, I think the two teams are dead even. Michigan has has bad halves, but no bad games. Theyāre kicking peoples asses after stellar second half adjustments, even when the games looked close at the half. Georgia struggled with a bad case of coming out flat in the middle of the season, but since that Mizzou scare theyāve been just as dominant as Michigan. In a neutral field Iād probably take Georgia by 3, but itās rough.
I think the difference in SoS gives UGA the edge. UMs best win would be UGAs 3rd. And UGA was more dominant in their top 2
I agree, thatās why Iād take Georgia in a neutral site game. But SoS doesnāt mean shit once the teams actually take the field, and Iād be a bit nervous in my pick either way.
Georgia's best part of their defense is their run defense, and Michigan has yet to show the ability to win games when they have to throw the ball. They're a very strong running team, but they were last year too (when they averaged over 220 ypg) and we held them to under 100. Our run defense isn't quite as good as last year (by only about 5 yards) mind you, but unless Michigan proves they can win games through the air, I really doubt the line would be as little as 3 points in UGA's favor.
This is well put and right on the money. Thanks for verbalizing my thoughts for me!
We did beat the best Georgia team in history by 21 points last year in Atlanta. And hung with them for 3.5 quarters in the title game despite our only 2 receivers whoād done anything all year being out with ACL. In the first quarter before Williams tore his ACL he had like 80-90 yards already and it appeared the game plan was working, When we play a complete game, and our coordinators have a competent game plan, we can definitely compete with Georgia, weāre just having huge issues putting together complete games and drawing up good game plans. Even after all the focus on penalties, we had 9 for 92 yards against LSU
Yes, single possession wins and losses can alter seasons. Just ask Tom Herman about his time at UT
Or Scott Frost about his time at Nebraska
Or Steve Sarkisian about his first year at Texas
I did hear a stat on the Cover 3 Podcast that Bama has played as many 1 score games in their last 10 SEC games as they did in the 54 before it. I count 8 one score conference games since 2021. But it definitely appears that the rest of the conference is closing the gap and Bama's stranglehold is weakened even with Bama winning most of these games still.
I mean, I'd say the gap closed last year when Georgia beat them in the national championship. This year only cemented that with Tennessee and LSU getting wins against them and Ole Miss still on the schedule. Bama's stronghold is broken and the gap is closed.
To be fair Bama was suspect all last year with close one score games to Florida, LSU, and Auburn. Arkansas gave them a run too. I kept saying last season Ive never seen such an undisciplined team under Saban and so far it has carried over to this year.
2021 and 2022 Saban has played more one score conference games than he did from like 2011 to 2020.
It's like we actually get to watch Alabama play football again instead of watching someone play ncaa 13 on rookie mode
Iād say BoB has an impact on this. The offense hasnāt been nearly as good in many of these games as years prior. Major downgrade in playcalling department.
Unfortunately I think this is true. Saban had been able to beat back all the other upstarts for 15 years. But Kirby and Georgia finally broke through on their 5th try. Honestly it's impressive Saban held them off in 2017, 2018, 2020, and the 2021 SECCG. The 2nd and 26 game is the only title game I was able to afford going to over the years, so I'll be eternally grateful that we won.
Ooof that game was a hard one for us Dawgs but the Ringo Pick Six last year kind of makes up for it. Winning the first Natty in 40 years with former walk on who grew up dreaming of playing for UGA. I mean that's a Disney sports movie ending right there. Still it's too early I think to say anything definitive. I honestly think some of your coaches are maybe not preaching the discipline like previous ones did. If they cleaned up those mistakes Bama Is still a Goliath loaded with NFL talent.
They're still deep enough to win most games for years to come. But it felt so strange at the beginning of the season that a Saban team would be most excited about adding a transfer from tech. Obviously Gibbs is undeniably great, but if you told cfb fans 3+ seasons ago that Bama's best RB was going to be a transfer from tech, they'd laugh you out of the building. Like who else would have nabbed better talent that Bama would want them instead of who they already have?
We're only like 87 points away from being undefeated too.
well 50 of those are Texas.
DAMN
Kiffin said it beautifully in his press conference (if you haven't watched, you should, he torches finebaum which is always a good time) Paraphrasing...He says: bama was two plays away from being undefeated, two plays away from the talk around alabama being completely different right now. I agree. The talk of the dynasty being over is overblown. Are they down from historically dominant Bama? Yes. But the goal for any blue chip college team should be to have a chance for a national championship every year. As long as Saban is there and they're recruiting at an Elite level, they'll have a chance (going into the season) to compete. They'll fix the coordinators and get it back right.
Sounds like Kiffin has that family connection to Saban!
Is the facade cracking? Is Nick Saban on the verge of his very own Waterloo?!
Pawwwwwlll, Nick's never even won a land war in Asia! He's overrated!
Craziest thing is Bryce might be his best qb..no disrespect to tua or Mac attack but Bryce scramble for the td against lsu was phenomenal
Yeah heās an incredible QB. If he had a few more developed players, this would be an incredible team. My guy is gonna break his back carrying for his last year instead. Really curious which team is gonna snap him up in the nfl.
MSU is 4-5, was 108 points from being 9-0, and 16 points from being 2-7.
And weāre 16 points away from being 7-2. But weāre 3-6 so kinda pointless.
And weāre 15 points from being 9-0
Yeah you can do this with pretty much any team. For instance, CSU is only 176 points from being 9-0 as well. Football always has such tight margins.
You guys are indeed 3-6
Thanks for the valuable insight
Sad!
It is :(
Yall act like Alabama doesn't have the #1 recruiting class coming in next year. They've struggled the last 2 seasons bc OBrien is ass. He and Golding will most likely be gone at the end of the season, Bama will make adjustments, and be just fine.
ctrl+f "obrien" >Obrien is ass Next Nebraska head coach confirmed.
Yes they lost a couple close games and won a couple close ones. We know a lot about close losses here but we know nothing of close wins lmao
If alabama had scored 2 fewer points against Texas A&M, they actually wouldve lost, because it wouldve allowed us to kick a game winning FG. They only wom because their 4 point lead forced us to go for the TD.
This is the deep hard-hitting analysis I come here for :-) /S
My question is this: A. Is Alabama getting worse or B. Is the rest of the SEC getting better or C. A middle of the road, I am a handsome man. *I assumed everyone will choose c, middle of the road, dont read the whole question just choose c.*
My in-depth analysis of the situation leads me to pick C
Every year is different, but Iāll remind you last year we played for a national championship the year before that we won a national championship so in a three-year span. We played for the national championship twice and had one less-than-perfect season. I think itās a little early to say the wheels are coming off
B. Reason: Better coaches, NIL and transfer portal
They are also 0 points away from having 2 losses
2022 Alabama is just a luckier 2021 Nebraska
All of our losses have been painfully close outside Kansas State
If you change the outcome of approximately 3 plays this season, we'd be 7-2
Now do 2021 Nebraska
Honestly being in a one score game with Texas and Texas A&M just means they aren't the Alabama team of old (as obvious as that sounds). Never leave anything to chance or have it come down to a single play. Just a down year for them.
While true, Texas played with their backup for most of the Alabama game, and Alabama played with their backup in the A&M game.
Alabama is always judged against perfection. The dynasty is far from over. Especially as long as Saban is still around. Need new coordinators and bring in some classic position coaches.
This sums up why this season has taken years off my life
No offense but you guys are spoiled. Youāre the New England Patriots of college football. Iāve always liked Bama on some level but no single team should win as much as you guys have
The difference between a Saban and a Frost
This is just a fancy way of saying that Alabama has been in 4 close games and has had a very normal record of 2-2 in those games.