The inevitable "Is Alabama the Greatest Ever" question

[JohnStOnge]

In absolute terms, the question may be "yes" because players get bigger and more athletic every year (though I'm not sure this year's Alabama team would beat the 2014/2015 Ohio State team as it was playing late in the season). But in terms of being the best relative to college football at a given time, the answer is "no."

As always I use the 1995/1996 Nebraska team as the standard. There might be a better standard farther back in history. But since I've been old enough to watch football that was the most dominant team of my lifetime.

That Nebraska team outscored opponents by an average of 39 points per game. So far Alabama has outscored its 2016 opponents by 29 points per game. Not likely they'll reach that 39 points per game average.

The 1995 Nebraska team beat 4 teams that finished the season in both major top 10 polls. They beat them by 24, 23, 38, and 38 points. Alabama can do no better than beating 3 teams that finish in the top 10. If USC is one of them they did beat them by 46 points. But they'll still fall short of the number beaten by that 1995 Cornhusker squad. I also doubt that if they do get through undefeated they'll end up having beaten all of the top 10 teams they played by 23 points or more.

Nobody challenged that Nebraska team at all. Their smallest margin of victory was 14 points and that game was never in doubt. They led Washington State 28-7 at the end of the third quarter and by 35-14 before Washington State scored late to make the score look better. But no 1995 Nebraska dame was in doubt by the end of the third quarter.

LSU did challenge Alabama. The score was 0-0 after three quarters and Alabama didn't ice it until the Tide kicked a field goal to bring the final score to 10-0 with 2:41 left in the game.

Finally, Nebraska's 1995 team beat a team that MIGHT have been in the conversation about the greatest team of all time if they hadn't had to play Nebraska. Florida came into that game undefeated and having outscored its opponents by an average of 28 points per game. Their smallest margin of victory was 11 points. There's nobody in the other three playoff teams that has been as dominant in 2016 as Florida was in 1995. And Nebraska beat that great Florida team 62-21. This year's Alabama team has no opportunity to do something that impressive. None of the other three in the college football playoff are undefeated and all of them had close games in addition to the ones they lost.

It's just not in the cards. No way Alabama can go down in history as the most dominant top level college football team of all time.

[Skjellyfetti]

1899 Sewanee Tigers are the greatest of all time.

[bandl]

I literally fell asleep trying to read this

[Pwns]

I think the 2008 Florida team would beat this year's Alabama team by 2 TDs.

Alabama's 3 opponents in the CFP are:
1. an Ohio State team probably not as good as the 2014 or 2015 versions.
2. A Clemson team not as good as last year's version
3. A Washington team that won one of the weakest Pac-10s in a while.

IMO, the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers are still the best team of all time. You can find a video on Youtube of the game they played with Florida. They would not be considered small by today's standards, and they had a lot of speed.

[Rob Iola]

Penn State could beat Alabama.

Too bad we won't get to find out.

[GannonFan]

Penn State could beat Alabama.

Too bad we won't get to find out.

[Ivytalk]

1899 Sewanee Tigers are the greatest of all time.

Yea, Sewanee's right!

[Ivytalk]

I literally fell asleep trying to read this

I literally tried to work Donald Trump into a pithy reply.

More Southern self-hatred from JSO.

[JohnStOnge]

More Southern self-hatred from JSO.

Not at all. All kinds of positives about football in the South. Certainly the most talent rich region; especially if you include Texas and since Texas was in the Confederacy I think that's fair.

But it is what it is with that 1995/1996 Nebraska team. It's the only top level college football team I can think of that was never even challenged. I went through it before years ago and if I remember correctly nobody was every closer than two touchdowns behind them by halftime.And the pièce de résistance was that annihilation of Florida. That was a great Florida team. Nebraska just swatted them aside like they were a burst of thistles in the wind.

Never saw anything like it before in my football watching lifetime and haven't seen anything like it since.

In I-AA/FCS the team like that was 1995 Marshall. I absolutely can't stand Marshall but the reality is that was the most dominant I-AA/FCS team of all time. At a completely different level than anybody else in the subdivision that year.

[SuperHornet]

That would have to be GA Tech in 1916 (222-0 over Cumberland) or COP in 1949 (undefeated)....

[JohnStOnge]

That would have to be GA Tech in 1916 (222-0 over Cumberland) or COP in 1949 (undefeated)....

Georgia Tech was actually tied by Washington and Lee that year. I'd go with their next year when they went 9-0-0 and outscored their opponents by 491 to 17. Closest game was a 32-10 win over Davidson.

Don't know who "COP" is so can't check on that one.

[SuperHornet]

That would have to be GA Tech in 1916 (222-0 over Cumberland) or COP in 1949 (undefeated)....

Georgia Tech was actually tied by Washington and Lee that year. I'd go with their next year when they went 9-0-0 and outscored their opponents by 491 to 17. Closest game was a 32-10 win over Davidson.

Don't know who "COP" is so can't check on that one.

College of the Pacific is now known as University of the Pacific. Diminutive Eddie LeBaron led the Tigers to an undefeated season, followed by a bowl snub, which infuriated NorCal fans who wanted to see what would happen in a COP-Cal bowl, featuring a Cal player who was at least up for the Heisman. They found out in the spring, when LeBaron led the coach-less Tigers against the coach-less Golden Bears in the infamous "Money Game" at the Historic Grape Bowl in Lodi, just before he joined the Washington Redskins, who drafted him. LeBaron led the Tigers to victory. (The proceeds went to charity.) LeBaron was later traded to the fledgling Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick and the #2 pick in the 1960 draft. Redskin fans must STILL be kicking themselves for that....

[Gil Dobie]

Players get bigger and stronger, what if the 1970's players trained the same way today's players trained. The best scenario is comparing a team to it's time, not comparing teams to each other from different times.

My vote would be the 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

They had 6 first team all-americans that year, the outland trophy winner, 1972 Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp, Outland and Lombardi award winners and 21 players from that roster were drafted by the NFL over the next couple years. They defeated 3 teams that were ranked #2 at one time during the season. Colorado #9 at the time, #2 Oklahoma in the game of the century, and #2 Alabama in the Orange Bowl. Head Coach Bob Devaney, OC Tom Osborne and they had a graduate assistant by the name of Monte Kiffin.

[JohnStOnge]

Players get bigger and stronger, what if the 1970's players trained the same way today's players trained. The best scenario is comparing a team to it's time,

Yes I agree with that. And it's not just how players trained. The whole science of facilitating development keeps advancing.

[BDKJMU]

More Southern self-hatred from JSO.

Not at all. All kinds of positives about football in the South. Certainly the most talent rich region; especially if you include Texas and since Texas was in the Confederacy I think that's fair.

But it is what it is with that 1995/1996 Nebraska team. It's the only top level college football team I can think of that was never even challenged. I went through it before years ago and if I remember correctly nobody was every closer than two touchdowns behind them by halftime.And the pièce de résistance was that annihilation of Florida. That was a great Florida team. Nebraska just swatted them aside like they were a burst of thistles in the wind.

Never saw anything like it before in my football watching lifetime and haven't seen anything like it since.

In I-AA/FCS the team like that was 1995 Marshall. I absolutely can't stand Marshall but the reality is that was the most dominant I-AA/FCS team of all time. At a completely different level than anybody else in the subdivision that year.

You're smoking crack. The 1995 Marshall team was 12-3. Lost the NC game. No Randy Moss.
The 1996 Marshall team was the best ever. 15-0. With Randy Moss. Most opponent they blew out.

[kalm]

Not at all. All kinds of positives about football in the South. Certainly the most talent rich region; especially if you include Texas and since Texas was in the Confederacy I think that's fair.

But it is what it is with that 1995/1996 Nebraska team. It's the only top level college football team I can think of that was never even challenged. I went through it before years ago and if I remember correctly nobody was every closer than two touchdowns behind them by halftime.And the pièce de résistance was that annihilation of Florida. That was a great Florida team. Nebraska just swatted them aside like they were a burst of thistles in the wind.

Never saw anything like it before in my football watching lifetime and haven't seen anything like it since.

In I-AA/FCS the team like that was 1995 Marshall. I absolutely can't stand Marshall but the reality is that was the most dominant I-AA/FCS team of all time. At a completely different level than anybody else in the subdivision that year.

You're smoking crack. The 1995 Marshall team was 12-3. Lost the NC game. No Randy Moss.
The 1996 Marshall team was the best ever. 15-0. With Randy Moss. Most opponent they blew out.

Or maybe he just got the year wrong?

[BDKJMU]

You're smoking crack. The 1995 Marshall team was 12-3. Lost the NC game. No Randy Moss.
The 1996 Marshall team was the best ever. 15-0. With Randy Moss. Most opponent they blew out.

Or maybe he just got the year wrong?

Obviously

[kalm]

Or maybe he just got the year wrong?

Obviously

So maybe he's not smoking crack?

[dal4018]

In absolute terms, the question may be "yes" because players get bigger and more athletic every year (though I'm not sure this year's Alabama team would beat the 2014/2015 Ohio State team as it was playing late in the season). But in terms of being the best relative to college football at a given time, the answer is "no."

As always I use the 1995/1996 Nebraska team as the standard. There might be a better standard farther back in history. But since I've been old enough to watch football that was the most dominant team of my lifetime.

That Nebraska team outscored opponents by an average of 39 points per game. So far Alabama has outscored its 2016 opponents by 29 points per game. Not likely they'll reach that 39 points per game average.

The 1995 Nebraska team beat 4 teams that finished the season in both major top 10 polls. They beat them by 24, 23, 38, and 38 points. Alabama can do no better than beating 3 teams that finish in the top 10. If USC is one of them they did beat them by 46 points. But they'll still fall short of the number beaten by that 1995 Cornhusker squad. I also doubt that if they do get through undefeated they'll end up having beaten all of the top 10 teams they played by 23 points or more.

Nobody challenged that Nebraska team at all. Their smallest margin of victory was 14 points and that game was never in doubt. They led Washington State 28-7 at the end of the third quarter and by 35-14 before Washington State scored late to make the score look better. But no 1995 Nebraska dame was in doubt by the end of the third quarter.

LSU did challenge Alabama. The score was 0-0 after three quarters and Alabama didn't ice it until the Tide kicked a field goal to bring the final score to 10-0 with 2:41 left in the game.

Finally, Nebraska's 1995 team beat a team that MIGHT have been in the conversation about the greatest team of all time if they hadn't had to play Nebraska. Florida came into that game undefeated and having outscored its opponents by an average of 28 points per game. Their smallest margin of victory was 11 points. There's nobody in the other three playoff teams that has been as dominant in 2016 as Florida was in 1995. And Nebraska beat that great Florida team 62-21. This year's Alabama team has no opportunity to do something that impressive. None of the other three in the college football playoff are undefeated and all of them had close games in addition to the ones they lost.

It's just not in the cards. No way Alabama can go down in history as the most dominant top level college football team of all time.

What about the '71 Cornhuskers led by Heisman winner John Rodgers they wiped up the floor with their opponents????

[UNI88]

Obviously

So maybe he's not smoking crack?

Maybe he got the year wrong because he's smoking crack.

[BDKJMU]

So maybe he's not smoking crack?

Maybe he got the year wrong because he's smoking crack.

Or maybe because he has TDS?

[93henfan]

They've got a name for the winners in the world.
I want a name when I lose.
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide.
Call me Deacon Blues.

-Abraham Lincoln, 1865

[BDKJMU]

Washington down by 3 scores (17) with 8+ min and less than 5 min left and they punt both times. Dumb decisions by the UW HC. If you're down 3 scores with only about 1/2 or less of the 4th qtr left it doesn't matter where on the field or the down and distance. You go for it. Otherwise its telling the team that you're quitting.

[Ivytalk]

Clempson really throttled Ohio State tonight. They just might beat Bama on January 9. Nick Saban always looks like he's trying to stifle a fart.

[Pwns]

Well, if 2016 Alabama is the GOAT, this year's Clemson team has to be very close behind...