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What are some notable program-changing wins?

Posted on 10/2/14 at 11:23 am
Posted by tylerdurden24
Member since Sep 2009
46596 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 11:23 am
With this grand Ole Miss-Bama battle poised to be OM's springboard to the next level, it got me thinking about some games that I can specifically point to as being the turning points in a program's history:

1989 Iron Bowl

1995 Third Saturday in October

2001 UGA-Tennessee: The Hobnail Boot game was Richt's first signature win as a HC and announced the arrival of UGA as a contender in the conference. A year later, we finished 13-1 and SEC Champs.

2001 LSU-Tennessee (SECCG) - LSU becomes a big pain in the arse for everyone else in the South.

2008 Bama-Clemson (CFA Kickoff Game) - Bama scurred some folks.

2008 Bama-UGA - The infamous Bama Blackout, my dad actually turned to me at halftime and said, "You realize you're watching the rebirth of Alabama's football program tonight, right?" It was Saban's second year at Bama and the first glimpse I'd had of the storm that was to come. After we'd beat them in overtime in T-Town the year before, they thoroughly embarassed a top ranked UGA team amidst what was arguably the biggest gameday atmosphere ever in Athens.

2008 Iron Bowl - Auburn loses 36-0, flees to Dagobah, and emerges a full blown Jedi Knight with a $200k lightsaber.

2009 Bama-UF (SECCG) - An epic battle that sent Bama to a National Title and signaled the start of a dark period for Florida.

2010 Bama-USCe - Carolina upsets Bama, goes on to their first ever SECCG appearance.

2011 Bama-LSU (National Title Game): Bama had the final say that season and LSU has been trying to chase them down ever since.

2012 Bama-UGA - One of the all-time great games in SEC history, UGA lost by 5 yards but managed to prove that it could rebound under Richt and go toe-to-toe with the heavyweights of the world.

2013 Auburn-Texas A&M - Gus Malzahn arrives to save Auburn from itself and becomes a huge pain our collective asses

What are some others that come to mind (changes for better or for worse)?
This post was edited on 10/2/14 at 12:02 pm
Posted by TheSandman
Notasulga
Member since Nov 2010
19411 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 11:24 am to
Bo Over the Top
Posted by TexasAg13
San Antonio de Béxar
Member since Jul 2013
5815 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 11:25 am to
9-6
Posted by weagle99
Member since Nov 2011
35893 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 11:34 am to
quote:

he infamous Bama Blackout, my dad actually turned to me at halftime and said, "You realize you're watching the rebirth of Alabama's football program tonight, right?" It was Saban's second year at Bama and the first glimpse I'd had of the storm that was to come.


This sounds like you are kissing arse BTW.
Posted by Weagle25
THE Football State.
Member since Oct 2011
46212 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 11:36 am to
I remember the 2008 Alabama-Clemson game and thinking "shite. They're back." I think it was that Chick-Fil-A kickoff game

For Auburn, Bo over the top and the 89 Iron Bowl come to mind.
This post was edited on 10/2/14 at 11:38 am
Posted by 14&Counting
Eugene, OR
Member since Jul 2012
37696 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 11:45 am to
2009 SECCG ....for UF that is.....
Posted by BrerTiger
Valley of the Long Grey Cloud
Member since Sep 2011
21506 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 11:45 am to
1995 - LSU 12, Auburn 6
DiNardo spent the entire year campaigning to "bring the magic back" and that was the night our faith was rewarded. LSU wore white jerseys at home for the first time in 15 years (part of DiNardo's campaign). Auburn had 4 shots into the end zone at the end of the game but came up empty. The string of 6 straight losing seasons would finally be coming to an end.

1997 - LSU 28, Florida 21
LSU's only win over Florida in the entire decade but defeating the defending national champs was a pretty big deal at the time.

2001 - LSU 31, Tennessee 20
Still the biggest upset in SECCG history.

Those games probably seem insignificant relative to the present day but they were huge in LSU's progression from a team that hit rock bottom under Curley Hallman to a team that wins 80% of its games year in, year out.

Will be interesting to see if Tennessee makes a similar bounce back over the next several years. I wouldn't bet against them.
Posted by jso0003
Member since Jun 2009
5170 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 11:48 am to
I'll go unconventional and give you a program changing loss: 2008 Iron Bowl

Bama 36-0

To me that was when the PTB at Auburn really decided we were going to have to change things up dramatically to compete with Saban.

Not saying things have been perfect since then but that seemed to be Auburn's turning point in the SEC West Arms Race.
This post was edited on 10/2/14 at 11:49 am
Posted by craigbiggio
Member since Dec 2009
31805 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 11:49 am to
2000 Tennessee

Lost to UAB the week before...came back then next week and beat a top-15 UT team in OT
Posted by goldennugget
Hating Masks
Member since Jul 2013
24514 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 11:49 am to
Wyoming over Tennessee in 2008

Wyoming ended up firing their coach a couple weeks later
Posted by r2d2
Member since Dec 2006
6843 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 12:23 pm to
tylerdurden24 got to give you some credit that is a good list you came up with.

I was to lazy to look at detalis but Spurrier in his first couple of years surely had a win or two that put UF in the map and stayed there for a long time.
Posted by David Cornwell
Member since Jun 2014
983 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 12:26 pm to
A&M over Bama in 2012
Posted by Swoopin
Member since Jun 2011
22031 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 12:26 pm to
quote:

2008 Iron Bowl - Auburn loses 36-0, flees to Dagobah, and emerges a full blown Jedi Knight with a $200k lightsaber.



And you call Techies nerds

BTW the lightsaber was $180K

ETA: Good list
This post was edited on 10/2/14 at 12:27 pm
Posted by wadewilson
Member since Sep 2009
36630 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 12:28 pm to
LSU over Florida in '97 was huge for our program.
Posted by Crimson Legend
Mount St Gumpus
Member since Nov 2004
15478 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 12:31 pm to
92 Bama over Miami (actually, January of 93).

I do not know of any game that marked the sudden and dramatic end to a dynasty more than that game. Miami was never the same. Yes, they did come back years later to win a title, but if you remember the late 80's and early 90's, that Miami team thought they couldn't lose and had the rest of the nation believing them.

That game will always be my favorite moment in college football history.
Posted by WG_Dawg
Hoover
Member since Jun 2004
86553 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 12:40 pm to
08 bama/clemson, 12 bama/uga, 13 au/atm:

I don't think these really changed either program, IMO.
Posted by cyde
He gone
Member since Nov 2005
31793 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 1:01 pm to
2010 national championship game: Alabama makes Texas' entire football program quit.
Posted by WhiskeyDick
shite Poster
Member since Sep 2014
1354 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 1:04 pm to
2014 - Ole Miss-Bama. Signified a new era in the SEC as Saban passed the crown to Freeze.
Posted by PrettyLights
Member since Oct 2014
1163 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 1:32 pm to
08 Alabama vs Georgia
Posted by Hardy_Har
MS
Member since Nov 2012
16285 posts
Posted on 10/2/14 at 1:35 pm to
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