Spurrier at Florida vs. Saban at Bama

For years, I've thought that what Spurrier did at Florida (averaging only one conference loss per year over 12 years) was off the charts but I'm starting to second guess that.

Let's review the stats:

Spurrier was 87-12 in conference regular season games (one loss per year times 12 years) season over and 5-2 in the SEC Championship game (all but 2 of them vs. Alabama). A very impressive 86.8% winning percentage if you include the SECCG.

I'll give Bama a mulligan for 2007. Starting in 2008, that gives Saban a 42-6 (also one loss per year) conference record in the regular season plus a 2-1 record in the SECCG. That gives you a winning percentage of 86.3% or virtually identical to Spurrier's conference winning percentage at Florida.

But was the league really that good in the 90s? Florida and Tennessee dominated a weak East. LSU (Florida's permanent opponent) was awful for much of the decade and managed to beat Spurrier's Florida teams only once (1997). Nebraska demolished an unbeaten Florida team in the Fiesta Bowl. One national title in 12 years vs. 3 for Saban in 6 years. Spurrier's bowl record at Florida was 6-5 -- not very impressive against other conferences when you consider how much they dominated the SEC at the time. 3 of those losses were in the Sugar Bowl when nothing was on the line for Florida (sound familiar Bama fans?) and they played like it.

I'm coming around to the reluctant conclusion that Saban is better than Spurrier was when he dominated the conference in the 90s. We'll see what the next 6 years bring but so far I think the evidence is pretty clear. The SEC is much tougher now (too lazy to "prove" this via stats) and Saban is winning at the same rate as Spurrier was in his heyday. It may not be the Fun n' Gun and he isn't nearly as entertaining as HBC but it is what it is.

Also, :neveragain: