re: Has Alabama and Nick Saban set the bar too high?

I don't think so. I think it has more to do with money than anything else. Saban is just the most successful coach at the moment. If he wasn't around, it would be somebody else. Billion dollar tv contracts, five million dollar a year head coaches, million dollar assistants, dramatic drops in merchandising sales if team isn't competing for championships. This is what the sport has evolved into. For better or worse.