1/10 Greatest Team Ever
Arguing historic greatness is always a difficult proposition. First, it’s hard to decide the criteria that should be used to decide who is the best ever. Should it be the team that had the most superstar players (the mid-80s Miami or the early 90s Florida State teams)? Should it be the team that beat their opponents by the most points (like 2008 Florida and 2008 Oklahoma)? Should it be the team that looked the most dominant in the championship game (like 1995 Nebraska)? Ultimately, I think it’s a fool’s argument. There are simply too many ways to decide who is the best team. However, I think this year’s Alabama team should be considered in any argument that discusses historically great teams.
Since our BCS Championship Game victory over the Texas Longhorns, there has been somewhat of a backlash against our team because of the closeness of the game (even though we did win by 16 points). Some folks are even saying that we don’t deserve the championship. Well, enough is enough, and I decided to list the reasons that we not only deserve the championship, but also are in fact the most deserving champion in the history of college football. Very few teams can claim any of the following points, and I guarantee with a 100% degree of certainty that no other team can claim all of them.
1) This team finished the season 14-0. Only two other teams have ever finished with that record, 2002 Ohio State and 2009 Boise State.
2) Alabama placed 6 players on the AP All-American First Team. No other team in history has ever had more than 5.
3) You want more star power? This team featured the Heisman Trophy winner AND the Butkus award winner.
4) This Alabama team defeated 5 teams that were at one point ranked in the Top 5.
5) This Alabama team defeated 3 teams that finished the season in the Top 10.
6) This Alabama team defeated 5 teams that finished the season in the Top 20.
7) This Alabama team ended the nation’s two longest winning streaks in consecutive games.
8) This Alabama team defeated the teams that finished second and third in the polls. Both of these teams had only one loss, and both of those losses were to Alabama.
9) This team finished undefeated in the SEC, a conference that featured 10 bowl teams. We played and defeated 8 of them during the course of the season.
10) This Alabama team defeated the schools that have won the last four BCS national championships.
I won’t even go into the individual game superlatives that this team accomplished, like Mark Ingram scoring as many rushing TDs in one game against Florida as they allowed to every other opponent combined (all 13 of them!). Or the fact that we had two running backs go over 100 yards each and combine for 4 rushing TDs against the nation’s top-rated rush defense (Texas). Or the fact that this Alabama team held the ultra-high scoring Arkansas Razorbacks to only 7 points, 10 less than their second-lowest total, and 29 points below their season average. I won’t go into these because there are quite simply too many of these type of unbelievable stats to mention them all.
Notice that every item I listed above is a fact. They are not subject to interpretation, and they are not open to debate. You can argue that if you lined up all of the historically great teams in one big massive playoff that the 2009 Alabama team wouldn’t win, but you could also argue that they would. However, understand this with crystal clarity; no team has ever been more deserving of the national championship than the 2009 Alabama team. No one. Ever. And if anyone wants to argue with me on that contention, go ahead. You’ll lose.
More blogs to come on the 2009 National Championship team, so check back soon. In the meantime, as always, feel free to send me any questions or comments.
Roll Tide!
Kenny
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