Started By
Message
Other than 92 what was the best team between the Bear and Saban years?
Posted on 7/3/21 at 1:22 pm
Posted on 7/3/21 at 1:22 pm
From 83-06 not counting 92.
IMO:
1. 1994
2. 1991
3. 1989
4. 1999
5. 2002
IMO:
1. 1994
2. 1991
3. 1989
4. 1999
5. 2002
This post was edited on 7/3/21 at 1:26 pm
8
Posted on 7/3/21 at 1:57 pm to mistaken4193
2005
Posted on 7/3/21 at 2:26 pm to TideSaint
I agree. That 2005 defense was disgusting. One of the better defenses college football wide of the last 20 years. Such leadership and cohesiveness as a unit.
Posted on 7/3/21 at 2:52 pm to mistaken4193
1999 and 2005
Posted on 7/3/21 at 3:25 pm to stomp
Oh Freddie Milons. You poor, lost child.
Posted on 7/3/21 at 3:31 pm to TideSaint
I was a student in 2005. That season was memorable for several reasons. First, the injury to Prothro was so heartbreaking and changed the course of the season. We were killing Florida and have so much confidence. Who knows what happens if he doesn't get hurt. The OT loss to LSU was rough. Never been so quiet leaving a game. The barn game was a nightmare. The win over Tennessee was intense. Doubt we'll ever see a 6-3 game again.
Posted on 7/3/21 at 5:21 pm to bamatide07
I’ll say 94. Barker’s senior year.
Posted on 7/3/21 at 5:27 pm to mistaken4193
1994
1999
2005
1999
2005
Posted on 7/3/21 at 6:22 pm to Chad4Bama
2005 had the no.1 scoring defense and no.2 overall defense. Underrated team. If only the offense was a little better.
But then we wouldn’t have gotten Saban by 2007.
But then we wouldn’t have gotten Saban by 2007.
Posted on 7/3/21 at 7:00 pm to bamatide07
quote:losing Prothro hurt badly. Once our center (I forgot his name) got injured, we were mediocre as hell
First, the injury to Prothro was so heartbreaking and changed the course of the season.
Posted on 7/3/21 at 7:19 pm to CCTider
Believe you're referring to JB Closner.
Posted on 7/3/21 at 7:34 pm to mistaken4193
2002 is an underrated team and season. They started out slow, blowing a huge lead to MTSU and losing heartbreakers to Oklahoma and Georgia. But starting with the Ole Miss game, they went on a tear that included a 20-point win over Tennessee (a game that broke a seven game losing streak to the Vols) and a 31-point shutout win over a Nick Saban-coached LSU. Had we not been on probation and had Fran not been on his way out, we beat Auburn handily in Tuscaloosa and contend for an SEC title against Georgia in Atlanta. Up until the Iron Bowl, Alabama was playing the best football of any team in the conference. We were first in the SEC in both total offense and total defense.
Posted on 7/3/21 at 7:54 pm to RollTide1987
We murdered LSU in Baton Rouge with the Smoke Draw all night. It’s weird a Saban defense wouldn’t adjust to stop it.
Posted on 7/3/21 at 11:30 pm to RollTide1987
2002 we won the west and 1999 we won the SEC. That should automatically put those two years at either 1 or 2
Posted on 7/4/21 at 3:48 am to mistaken4193
1) 1992 (13-0, SEC and NC champs)
2) 1994 (12-1, won West and lost by 1 in SECC game, beat OSU in Citrus Bowl, final AP #5)
3) 1989 (10-2, gave UT its only loss, won SEC and lost to NC Miami by 1 score in the Orange Bowl, final AP #9)
4) 1999 (10-3, won SEC, beat Spurrier's UF twice, stopped UF 30 game home win streak, beat 10 win MSU, final AP #8)
5) 1991 (11-1, beat decent UGA, decent UT and Colorado in bowl, final AP #5)
6) 1986 (10-3, beat 10 win OSU, ND, UT and Wash in bowl, final AP #9)
7) 2005 (10-2, beat decent UF and TT in Cotton Bowl, final AP #8)
8) 2002 (10-3, close losses to OU and UGA, beat decent UT and shutout decent LSU in BR when Bama was not beating those 2 often, final AP #11)
9) 1985 (9-2-1, beat decent UGA, 10 win A&M, AU in Tiffin game (knocked them out of SEC champ), and bad USC in bowl, final AP #13)
10) 1996 (10-3, shutout 10 win LSU in BR (Shawn A. game), beat Mich in bowl, final AP #11)
In the first 14 years (83-96, prior to sanctions) after Coach Bryant, Alabama ranked 6th in the country in "on-field" winning %, only behind UF in the SEC. They won 1 NC, 2 SECC (would have been 3 under old format), finished ranked in the AP 11 of the 14 years, top 11 6 times and top 5 3 times.
If Stallings had been 6-0 vs Spurrier rather than 1-5, Bama would have had 3 undefeated seasons and won 6 SEC titles in the 14 years between Bryant and sanctions.
2) 1994 (12-1, won West and lost by 1 in SECC game, beat OSU in Citrus Bowl, final AP #5)
3) 1989 (10-2, gave UT its only loss, won SEC and lost to NC Miami by 1 score in the Orange Bowl, final AP #9)
4) 1999 (10-3, won SEC, beat Spurrier's UF twice, stopped UF 30 game home win streak, beat 10 win MSU, final AP #8)
5) 1991 (11-1, beat decent UGA, decent UT and Colorado in bowl, final AP #5)
6) 1986 (10-3, beat 10 win OSU, ND, UT and Wash in bowl, final AP #9)
7) 2005 (10-2, beat decent UF and TT in Cotton Bowl, final AP #8)
8) 2002 (10-3, close losses to OU and UGA, beat decent UT and shutout decent LSU in BR when Bama was not beating those 2 often, final AP #11)
9) 1985 (9-2-1, beat decent UGA, 10 win A&M, AU in Tiffin game (knocked them out of SEC champ), and bad USC in bowl, final AP #13)
10) 1996 (10-3, shutout 10 win LSU in BR (Shawn A. game), beat Mich in bowl, final AP #11)
In the first 14 years (83-96, prior to sanctions) after Coach Bryant, Alabama ranked 6th in the country in "on-field" winning %, only behind UF in the SEC. They won 1 NC, 2 SECC (would have been 3 under old format), finished ranked in the AP 11 of the 14 years, top 11 6 times and top 5 3 times.
If Stallings had been 6-0 vs Spurrier rather than 1-5, Bama would have had 3 undefeated seasons and won 6 SEC titles in the 14 years between Bryant and sanctions.
Posted on 7/4/21 at 8:12 am to tattoo
Nice breakdown. It really was DuBose to Shula that killed us.
Posted on 7/4/21 at 8:40 am to mistaken4193
1999 and 2005
Posted on 7/4/21 at 10:33 pm to tattoo
‘89 team was in the Sugar Bowl, not the Orange Bowl. I was a walk on on that team and I still have my watch from the bowl. That was such a crazy year! Jeff Dunn was our starting QB, tore his knee up and Gary Hollingsworth stepped in and we never skipped a beat. It was also Siran Stacy’s coming out party. We needed a miracle block FG to beat Penn State, thumped Tenn in Legion Field, climbed up to #2 in the nation and then ran into a buzzsaw down at the Barn. We ended the season in a 3 way tie for the SEC title and went to the Sugar Bowl as the SEC champ to there being some stipulation as to higher rank or not having been there longer than the other two. Lose to Miami and Coach Curry comes in to the meeting room on Monday and tells us all goodbye!
Posted on 7/5/21 at 8:10 am to UAgrad93
89 team was a team loaded with talent, lots of exciting games won by that team.
Hollingsworth, S.Stacy, K.Turner, M.Battle, L.Russell, K.McCants.
I'll always believe that team was a good defensive coordinator, like Bill Oliver, from possibly winning those last 2 games, thus winning it all.
Hollingsworth, S.Stacy, K.Turner, M.Battle, L.Russell, K.McCants.
I'll always believe that team was a good defensive coordinator, like Bill Oliver, from possibly winning those last 2 games, thus winning it all.
Posted on 7/5/21 at 12:23 pm to mistaken4193
2005 was one of my favorite football seasons ever (especially as a college junior), but that team's offensive flaws put a ceiling on how good they could be.
This is a flawed way to look at it, but interesting at least. Per the Sports Reference SRS Rankings, the best teams from 83-06 non-1992.
1. 1985 (9-2-1) (Aloha Bowl) (#13 AP) (#38 overall) (Perkins)
2. 1986 (10-3) (Sun Bowl) (#9 AP) (#40 overall) (Perkins)
3. 1999 (10-3) (Orange Bowl) (#8 AP) (SEC Champs) (#41 overall) (DuBose)
4. 1983 (8-4) (Sun Bowl) (#15 AP) (#42 overall) (Perkins)
5. 1989 (10-2) (Sugar Bowl) (#9 AP) (#49 overall) (Co-SEC Champs) (Curry)
6. 2002 (10-3) (Probation) (#11 AP) (#51 overall) (Franchione)
7. 1994 (12-1) (Citrus Bowl) (#5 AP) (#62 overall) (Stallings)
8. 2005 (10-2) (Cotton Bowl) (#8 AP) (#66 overall) (Shula)
9. 1996 (10-3) (Outback Bowl) (#11 AP) (#67 overall) (Stallings)
10. 1991 (11-1) (Blockbuster Bowl) (#5 AP) (#68 overall) (Stallings)
As many have said, Perkins had things set up when he left for the Giants. He had re-stocked the roster after Coach Bryant retired and left the cupboard pretty bare, and he set things on a tee for Curry.
And those mid-1980s teams get overlooked because they lost 3-4 games, but what gets lost is the insane schedules they played. In 1983 Alabama played Georgia Tech, Penn State, Southern Miss and Boston College. In 1984 Alabama played Boston College, Georgia Tech, Penn State and Cincinnati. In 1986 Alabama played Ohio State, Notre Dame and Penn State - IN THE SAME YEAR!
This is a flawed way to look at it, but interesting at least. Per the Sports Reference SRS Rankings, the best teams from 83-06 non-1992.
1. 1985 (9-2-1) (Aloha Bowl) (#13 AP) (#38 overall) (Perkins)
2. 1986 (10-3) (Sun Bowl) (#9 AP) (#40 overall) (Perkins)
3. 1999 (10-3) (Orange Bowl) (#8 AP) (SEC Champs) (#41 overall) (DuBose)
4. 1983 (8-4) (Sun Bowl) (#15 AP) (#42 overall) (Perkins)
5. 1989 (10-2) (Sugar Bowl) (#9 AP) (#49 overall) (Co-SEC Champs) (Curry)
6. 2002 (10-3) (Probation) (#11 AP) (#51 overall) (Franchione)
7. 1994 (12-1) (Citrus Bowl) (#5 AP) (#62 overall) (Stallings)
8. 2005 (10-2) (Cotton Bowl) (#8 AP) (#66 overall) (Shula)
9. 1996 (10-3) (Outback Bowl) (#11 AP) (#67 overall) (Stallings)
10. 1991 (11-1) (Blockbuster Bowl) (#5 AP) (#68 overall) (Stallings)
As many have said, Perkins had things set up when he left for the Giants. He had re-stocked the roster after Coach Bryant retired and left the cupboard pretty bare, and he set things on a tee for Curry.
And those mid-1980s teams get overlooked because they lost 3-4 games, but what gets lost is the insane schedules they played. In 1983 Alabama played Georgia Tech, Penn State, Southern Miss and Boston College. In 1984 Alabama played Boston College, Georgia Tech, Penn State and Cincinnati. In 1986 Alabama played Ohio State, Notre Dame and Penn State - IN THE SAME YEAR!
This post was edited on 7/5/21 at 12:28 pm
Page 1 of 2
Latest Alabama News
Popular
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News