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How many natties would Bear Bryant have won if he had the college football playoff?
Posted on 6/19/25 at 11:00 pm
Posted on 6/19/25 at 11:00 pm
How many national championships would Bear Bryant have won if he had the college football playoff?
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5
Posted on 6/20/25 at 12:36 am to saturdaysarebetter
I hope that, as time passes, Saban’s stature goes down a little and Bear’s regains its rightful place as co-#1.
Saban and Bear deserve to be the faces of Bama football for eternity, but it seems like the greatness of the iconic Paul W. Bryant has been overshadowed lately. I’m sure it’ll settle into “Wow I can’t believe Bama had BOTH the GOATs”.
Saban and Bear deserve to be the faces of Bama football for eternity, but it seems like the greatness of the iconic Paul W. Bryant has been overshadowed lately. I’m sure it’ll settle into “Wow I can’t believe Bama had BOTH the GOATs”.
Posted on 6/20/25 at 9:04 am to _Hurricane_
Saban missed plenty of opportunities, including a chance to 3-peat with one of his best teams (13) because he didn't have a playoff either.
Could Florida beat Bama in a rematch in 08 ? The '10 team was loaded, and maybe stays motivated if there was a playoff to play for.
Saban invented modern day football relative to program structure. He was so dominant the country decided to burn the sport to the ground. ??
Could Florida beat Bama in a rematch in 08 ? The '10 team was loaded, and maybe stays motivated if there was a playoff to play for.
Saban invented modern day football relative to program structure. He was so dominant the country decided to burn the sport to the ground. ??
Posted on 6/20/25 at 10:02 am to saturdaysarebetter
Dude.....
Posted on 6/21/25 at 8:08 am to saturdaysarebetter
quote:
How many natties would Bear Bryant have won if he had the college football playoff?
I am going to say it’s more likely to be less than six than more than six.
I think we can fairly eliminate 1973 due to the Sugar Bowl loss to ND. OU and USC would have been tough to deal with in 1978.
On the flip side, maybe the 1966 team gets a championship - or one of the others in the ‘70s that were contenders.
But Bryant won six and I would bet on fewer natties as opposed to more natties.
Posted on 6/21/25 at 8:17 am to Globetrotter747
I know we have the big trophy in our case and it was one of my favorite Bama teams and Steadman Shealy is one of my favorite Bama players … but I have a hunch the result might not have been pretty if we had played USC in a playoff in 1979.
Posted on 6/25/25 at 3:21 pm to _Hurricane_
This is how I look at it.
Saban is the BEST coach we’ve ever had and the best coach in CFB history.
Bear is the most iconic and will always be the face of Alabama football. He’s also the second best coach in CFB history.
I think that’s fair.
Saban is the BEST coach we’ve ever had and the best coach in CFB history.
Bear is the most iconic and will always be the face of Alabama football. He’s also the second best coach in CFB history.
I think that’s fair.
Posted on 6/25/25 at 11:54 pm to InkStainedWretch
I think the defense was so dominant it would have kept us in the game or won every game that year against any opponent. We had something like five shutouts, allowed less than 70 points, and our offense was very good also. That defense was stacked that year.
Posted on 6/26/25 at 5:47 am to _Hurricane_
quote:
I hope that, as time passes, Saban’s stature goes down a little and Bear’s regains its rightful place as co-#1.
From a historical view, Saban living longer than a year after retiring is just going to benefit his legacy.
Saban becoming the de facto "commissioner of college football," even symbolically, is only going to grow his status. I think people will also look favorably on his decision to retire instead of flame out like many coaches have been known to do (Bowden, Paterno, etc).
Posted on 6/26/25 at 6:33 am to imjustafatkid
Think you really hit an underrated point. The fact that Saban left while still producing great teams and lives to be a voice for the sport is going to enhance his legend.
Posted on 6/26/25 at 7:45 am to Diego Ricardo
quote:
Think you really hit an underrated point. The fact that Saban left while still producing great teams and lives to be a voice for the sport is going to enhance his legend.
He bucked the trend and set an example for future coaching legends to follow.
Posted on 6/26/25 at 7:54 am to PowHound
quote:
Could Florida beat Bama in a rematch in 08 ?
Florida was the better team. With a healthy Harvin in the lineup, I would say solidly so.
Bama beating Florida in a rematch in ‘09 would have been tough too.
Posted on 6/26/25 at 8:49 am to TideSwamper
Oh I loved that ‘79 team, but ‘79 USC that year had 22 players who had careers, not cups of coffee, in the NFL. Ronnie Lott, Anthony Munoz, Keith Van Horne, Marcus Allen and Charles White in the same backfield, Hoby Brenner, Chris Foote, Brad Budde, Roy Foster, Don Mosebar, Chip Banks, Joey Browner, Dennis Smith, etc.
I’m not saying they would have beaten us but they would not have been an easy assignment for us in a playoff game, which is the question at hand.
Their OL … Munoz, Budde, Foster, Foote, Mosebar … against Braggs, Junior, Hamilton, Hannah, Lyles, etc., would have been something to see, it would have been an old-school brutal war. Might have been a 0-0, 2-0 or 3-0 game.
I’m not saying they would have beaten us but they would not have been an easy assignment for us in a playoff game, which is the question at hand.
Their OL … Munoz, Budde, Foster, Foote, Mosebar … against Braggs, Junior, Hamilton, Hannah, Lyles, etc., would have been something to see, it would have been an old-school brutal war. Might have been a 0-0, 2-0 or 3-0 game.
Posted on 6/26/25 at 1:22 pm to Bamafan18
quote:
This is how I look at it.
Saban is the BEST coach we’ve ever had and the best coach in CFB history.
Bear is the most iconic and will always be the face of Alabama football. He’s also the second best coach in CFB history.
I think that’s fair.
Bryant is mythical at this point.
I would imagine opinions on this depend on general age range. Older folks probably revere Bryant more than younger folks.
Count me among the older folks.
Compare and contrast former player interviews between the two. It becomes apparent which one was the greatest "leader of men."
Posted on 7/2/25 at 3:51 pm to saturdaysarebetter
quote:
How many national championships would Bear Bryant have won if he had the college football playoff?
Well, let's start the discussion by pointing out that Bryant gets credit for a national championship in 1973 when he lost what was basically the national championship game.
But then, he may have won in 1966 and 1977. We'll never know.
This post was edited on 7/2/25 at 3:55 pm
Posted on 7/2/25 at 4:06 pm to Grievous Angel
quote:
Compare and contrast former player interviews between the two. It becomes apparent which one was the greatest "leader of men."
I've listened to the same interviews, and I don't think it's apparent at all. Just because John Hannah, Sylvester Croom, and Johnny Musso are in their seventies, it doesn't mean that their accounts are any more meaningful or carry more weight. Saban's players will carry just as much weight when they are that age. Julio, Hurts, Henry, and others will be telling similar stories when they are seventy year old NFL HoFers.
And if you want to talk about "leader of men", you can't do it without talking about personal example. Saban won a national championship at an age when Bryant had already smoked and drank himself to death. You can't fully talk about leadership without pointing that out. Is Bryant's example one that you would want your son to follow? Then how can you say he's a greater leader of men?
By the way, I'm 68. And while I certainly revere Bryant and always have, honesty forces me to admit that he's not one iota more of a leader of men than Saban. You ask me who I'd rather have my son play for..
It's Saban all day long.
This post was edited on 7/2/25 at 4:16 pm
Posted on 7/3/25 at 4:00 pm to Grievous Angel
quote:
Bryant is mythical at this point.
Bryant was mythical to me as a young fan growing up in the late-90s/early-00s. The stories my parents and grandparents told me about him helped me cope with our mediocre we were after the Albert Means scandal. His accomplishments seemed untouchable to me until Saban arrived. Now Nick Saban is my Bear Bryant.
Posted on 7/6/25 at 10:42 am to RollTide1987
Saban is the best recruiter Bama had. Relatively speaking, Bryant had exceptional talent, but not dominant talent. Looked at NFL players in the league over time. USC and Notre Dame and Ohio State put significantly more players in the NFL during Bryant's time.
My personal opinion is Saban because of recruiting. I do feel, however, that Bryant tended to get more out of the players he had.
I can see some teams not winning titles. 1978, 1979 comes to mind. On the other hand 1977 and 1966 might very well have one one. So I think about the same.
My personal opinion is Saban because of recruiting. I do feel, however, that Bryant tended to get more out of the players he had.
I can see some teams not winning titles. 1978, 1979 comes to mind. On the other hand 1977 and 1966 might very well have one one. So I think about the same.
This post was edited on 7/6/25 at 10:48 am
Posted on 7/6/25 at 8:38 pm to RiverCityTider
One thing to remember is that Bryant’s teams (frankly, all teams and especially teams from the South) played far easier schedules than Saban’s. Saban played between 2 and 3 times as many ranked teams at Alabama as Bryant. Coach Bryant’s little teams from the 50s, 60s and early 70s would have had a tough time holding up over a long season of playing 5-8 ranked teams vs 2-4.
6 unshared and undisputed NCs in 12 years, along with a 92% winning%, 9 SECCs in 15 years. No one has ever come close in spite of the tough schedule.
Saban not only won at an unprecedented rate, he won in the toughest conference and toughest division in the history of college football. Then usually ended the season with the SECC game and one or two playoff games. Of course vs the best teams in the country.
What Saban did was unparalleled in CF history. But he doesn’t get the credit he deserves, IMO, primarily because he was at despised Alabama. The deceitful media has carried their lying even into the toy store of life. They refuse to tell the truth and few Alabama “people” have the courage to set ‘em straight. Where are you Rece? Only Shaun A. and Mark Ingram and sometimes the hated Paul Finebaum have had the guts to go to bat for her. Shaun has no voice now and Mark is dismissed as just full of enthusiasm, energy and hot air.
“Saban was just a cheating recruiter”, where in reality, he and Alabama elevated and totally changed the nature of college football. It will never be the same. Like Coach Bryant, CNS was a great program strategist, and both were great motivators. They both knew the rules inside and out and took advantage. They knew their teams and how to get the most out of them. They both were great game managers.
There’s more but I will spare you.
6 unshared and undisputed NCs in 12 years, along with a 92% winning%, 9 SECCs in 15 years. No one has ever come close in spite of the tough schedule.
Saban not only won at an unprecedented rate, he won in the toughest conference and toughest division in the history of college football. Then usually ended the season with the SECC game and one or two playoff games. Of course vs the best teams in the country.
What Saban did was unparalleled in CF history. But he doesn’t get the credit he deserves, IMO, primarily because he was at despised Alabama. The deceitful media has carried their lying even into the toy store of life. They refuse to tell the truth and few Alabama “people” have the courage to set ‘em straight. Where are you Rece? Only Shaun A. and Mark Ingram and sometimes the hated Paul Finebaum have had the guts to go to bat for her. Shaun has no voice now and Mark is dismissed as just full of enthusiasm, energy and hot air.
“Saban was just a cheating recruiter”, where in reality, he and Alabama elevated and totally changed the nature of college football. It will never be the same. Like Coach Bryant, CNS was a great program strategist, and both were great motivators. They both knew the rules inside and out and took advantage. They knew their teams and how to get the most out of them. They both were great game managers.
There’s more but I will spare you.
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