I remember seeing this article a while back and thought it was appropriate since these two will maybe be playing next weekend and the topic was discussed earlier. The myth of an integrated USC team beating Bama in 1970 and forcing Bryant's hand in recruiting black players is just that; a myth. More influential was integrated Mizzou whupping Bama a couple years earlier LINK

quote:
If that was the beginning of the end of segregation in Alabama football, the next key step was administered by Mizzou in what was then one of just 11 bowl games overall, and nationally televised — something Watson also suspects was a factor in changing the climate.

“A lot of Alabama fans were watching that game,” Watson said. “And they may have crossed a little over the color line on that day, too — and thank God for that.”

What they saw was the Tigers dissecting a ‘Bama team that had given up 104 points all season … without MU so much as completing a pass. And they did it most visibly with Greg Cook rushing for 179 yards and three touchdown runs by quarterback Terry McMillan and a pick-6 by Dennis Poppe and another key INT by Roger Wehrli -- but most notably in this case with a supporting cast that was nearly 25 percent African-American and included stars such as Joe Moore and Mel Gray.

What they saw was the times starting to change — with a shove from MU. Whatever steps Bryant already was tentatively taking, Watson said, “I think it was a big influence.”