Since Saban, Championship Runs Through the Crimson TIde

Yep, to reach the title game, one must beat Bama. Pretty remarkable really.

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Stuff like this is lost on the masses that are running to give Meyer the nod for best coach over Saban.

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I get that Meyer beat Saban on a neutral field, but I don't get the talk of him being better than Saban yet. Everyone says that Meyer has only been at tOSU for three years, yet Saban won a natty when he was at Alabama for three years as well, beating Urban Meyer's deeper UF squad in the SECCG. There is something to be said about the hunger of a team that has not tasted victory that can't be replicated again. Last time Urban Meyer tried to maintain a championship program it imploded in epic fashion. Has he learned from his time at UF?

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I get that Meyer beat Saban on a neutral field, but I don't get the talk of him being better than Saban yet. Everyone says that Meyer has only been at tOSU for three years, yet Saban won a natty when he was at Alabama for three years as well, beating Urban Meyer's deeper UF squad in the SECCG. There is something to be said about the hunger of a team that has not tasted victory that can't be replicated again. Last time Urban Meyer tried to maintain a championship program it imploded in epic fashion. Has he learned from his time at UF?

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Dead On. People forget that Meyer left UF in shambles. Great coaches usually don't do that. Meyer has never had to sustain a program. That really is the hard part. He also has never had to truly rebuild a BCS caliber program from the ground up. Zook didn't leave Florida in a complete mess and Meyer walked into Ohio State when it was already a Top 5 program that had no real competition within it's league. Its like he started out at OSU on third base.

That all said, his QB recruiting/development is insane. Very jealous of that.

No big surprise, Saban is one of the 3 or 4 best coaches of all time and his peak as a coach has managed to fall since he's been at Alabama

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get that Meyer beat Saban on a neutral field, but I don't get the talk of him being better than Saban yet.

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I read your entire post but have you considered that Meyer is 13 years younger than Saban and Meyer's success at Utah trumps Saban's success at Michigan State? Saban revitalized two "traditional" programs. Utah and Florida weren't storied programs when Meyer took the reigns.

Back to my remark about age, what had Saban accomplished by the time he was 50? Saban might have one more national title, but I'm sure it's a safe bet that barring terrible unforeseen circumstances, Meyer can easily bridge the gap and surpass Saban's successes by the time Meyer is 63.

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I read your entire post but have you considered that Meyer is 13 years younger than Saban and Meyer's success at Utah trumps Saban's success at Michigan State?

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Michigan State had just been hit with probation when Saban arrived too. Utah had not.

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Florida weren't storied programs when Meyer took the reigns.

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What? They were less than 10 years removed from a National Championship and had won SIX outright SEC Championships since 1990.
LSU was over 40 years removed from a national title and over 20 years removed from a SEC CO-championship.
Alabama was 15 years removed from a national title and had only won two SEC championships since 1990 when Saban took over.

Losing seasons in the 10 years prior to them taking over:
Meyer:
Utah 2 (2000, 2002)
Florida 0
Ohio State 1 (2011)

Saban:
Michigan St 3 (1991-92; 1994)
LSU 7 (1990-1994; 1998-99)
Alabama 4 (1997, 2000, 2003, 2006)


Here's my biggest factor in determining the better coach: Meyer left Florida an absolute train wreck. Saban has not done that at his stops.

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I get that Meyer beat Saban on a neutral field, but I don't get the talk of him being better than Saban yet

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It's reactionary mixed with a -vitriolic- desire to have ANYONE replace Saban as the perceived best coach in America. One key argument always left out is what Meyer's record would have been if he coached as many years in the SEC, including having stayed at UF for the years after we beat his arse last time in the SECCG.

I don't mind there being arguments based without emotion and people stating their case. I don't care about Saban on an emotional level. I've never defended his glaring personality flaws. I only care about that perception that he's the best because it has fueled amazing recruiting and helps our team. That's my angle anyway.

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Also that they're .500 heads up vs each other right now.

I am in no way discrediting Meyer's accomplishments, or even saying anything is for sure. I think it's a very fair argument on both sides, but if you ask me whom would I rather have coach our team? Nick Saban without question.