So, as I’ve already mentioned, the selection committee served up a whole bunch of “oh, crap” to Nick Saban last night, dropping the Tide seven spots in the rankings after its loss to Auburn.
Here’s the committee’s rationale:
I get that, even if I’m not completely sold on it. I also suspect that Tua’s season ending injury played into the drop as well. Still, behind teams like Florida and Wisconsin? Eh, doubtful either of those two would take ‘Bama. Not that it matters; the really big deal here is that the selection committee has likely locked Alabama out of a NY6 bowl. Tell me you saw that coming.
I’m not saying that because I care. But a weakened Alabama team is playing havoc with everyone (and their computers) who ranks college football teams. Check out the Massey Composite to get a sense of what I’m talking about. Alabama is ranked anywhere from third to twenty fifth. That’s a helluva range.
The consequences of this intrigue me, even if I’m someone not close to ready to buy into the “dynasty is over” talk. For one thing, consider what it took for ‘Bama to find itself in its current state.
Not sure you can count on something like that replicating itself annually.
On the other hand, in the world of college football, the first thing that has to happen for a powerhouse program to slide is a perception that the program is not quite the same anymore. It’s a subjective sport and doubt is a powerful tool. I’m not certain we’re quite there yet, but I’m also not certain we’re not seeing the first cracks in the Saban wall, either.
Next year, especially if Tua takes off, is going to be the most interesting year of Saban’s Alabama tenure, in my humble opinion. I don’t have a clue from here how it’s gonna play out, but I’ll be watching.
In the meantime, it’s shaping up to be a real winter of discontent for Tahd Nation.
