re: Favorite Saban Championship

There is no specific right answer here. One thing I personally learned is that having a loss on a record doesn't make it truly mean -anything- less to me. Prior to 2011, I felt like a loss makes the season less magical or less awesome... and I have learned that at the end of the day it's really just a number that "looks" better one way.

So, I'm very grateful to have learned that... and honestly don't think i can distinguish a particular favorite. Emotionally, the Texas win was SO awesome because of how long it had been and how long i had waited as a fan to taste greatness again. Then, the LSU win was so awesome because it felt like a pipe-dream all season to believe a team could be good enough to win 2 out of 3 championships.... and then there's the Notre Dame game. It was much more difficult to get excited about the game itself except that it was for a crystal trophy. Everyone knew we'd probably convincingly win, unless they were lying to themselves. Not to disrespect ND... and not that I took them for granted... it was just that on paper it looked pretty evident that we ought to win it convincingly... which we did. Still, it was Notre Dame, and had I ever gotten the chance to pick a single team that I would have wanted to play and beat in a national title game it would have to be either ND or USC. Not to mention that it was going to mean BACK TO BACK national titles and 3 out of 4... nothing would have ever COMPLETED having watched a team in my life better than winning 3 so close together and absolutely smothering everyone, and continuing the note by beating Notre Dame! So kickass.

I think I sort of look at them ALL as one huge experience instead of 3 separate experiences, and for THAT I am super grateful.

It's the sort of fan experience that -very- few will ever get to have in their lives or even their kids will have in their lives. Not to say that I'm totally sated from the whole thing, because I'm not.. I am still HUNGRY for more, but I guess i'm trying to say that i could die a happy Bama fan no matter what happens in the future. (horrible thing to say, right?! i should ALWAYS demand more. perhaps my perspective will change as i grow older and the inevitable, eventual down-swing hits again. /shiver)

Its one of those good problems to have

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horrible thing to say, right?! i should ALWAYS demand more.

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Yes. The Saban would like to have a word with you

I was lucky enough to really love Alabama football right before we got good. I'm not a bandwagon fan, my dad loves Bama and once I really caught on, so did I.

I think that was 2007 or so. I really started watching every game though once we got Saban.

If I ever have to prove I'm not a bandwagon fan, I can just bring up the less famous players I remember like Ezekiel Night, Wallace Gilberry, Terry Grant. I remember when I thought Grant was awesome

Definitely 2009. The Rose Bowl. Our first in 17 years. A Heisman winner. 14-0. Doesn't get any better.

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It's not when you get on the wagon--it's if you ever get off.

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Well that's never.

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2009 is my least favorite. We weren't all that dominant that year--yes we won them all, and we had some dominant games, but we didn't keep our foot down on Texas, came from behind against Auburn, had to block UT twice, go wildcat with Ingram against USC, etc.

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This is the hardest part for me with that year's championship

2012

Beating UF was nice
Beating Texas was incredible
Beating LSU into oblivion was a dream come true
Beating Auburn and watching them crash and burn is starting to just seem magical....

but repeatedly kicking Notre Dame and their Heisman sham in the nads and the Pope resigning a week later was the culmination of everything good in the world.

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2009 is my least favorite. We weren't all that dominant that year--yes we won them all, and we had some dominant games, but we didn't keep our foot down on Texas, came from behind against Auburn, had to block UT twice, go wildcat with Ingram against USC, etc.

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Yeah, but we pounded the Gators in the SECCG in 2009, went 14-0, and ended the NC draught.

Plus, compare it to this year in which we came from behind against LSU in the last second, LOST TO A&M, and went down the wire with Georgia.

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2009 is my least favorite. We weren't all that dominant that year--yes we won them all, and we had some dominant games, but we didn't keep our foot down on Texas, came from behind against Auburn, had to block UT twice, go wildcat with Ingram against USC, etc.

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That made it better for me. Nothing was guaranteed which made it all the more exciting. There were so many moments during that season when I thought that it was over only to have our team pull through.

While I do not think the 2009 team would have a winning record against the other two if they played 10 times, the season was much more magical and special.

2011 because I was in Nola.

The best game was 09 and it was awesome beating tejas in the rose bowl for our first in a while

The 2009 team was the most talented team out of the bunch and it's not even close. That team had Julio Jones, McClain, Hightower, Upshaw, Dareus, Ingram, Richardson, Barron, Kareem Jackson, Arenas, Kirkpatrick, etc... The '09 team didn't dominate as much as the other teams because McElroy was a significantly worse QB than McCarron and they also played against a much tougher schedule than the other two teams.