Alabama Football: Postgame Notes vs. Texas A&M
By David Wasson
Alabama head coach Nick Saban is 119-19 (.862) in home games during his college head coaching career. He owns the advantage at every stop he has made during his collegiate coaching career, including a 60-7 (.896) mark while at Alabama. Saban has won 31 of his last 33 contests at Bryant-Denny Stadium and has lost back-to-back matchups only once, with consecutive losses coming at the end of the 2007 season (LSU and ULM).
Saban owns a 48-10 (.828) all-time record when playing in a Southeastern Conference game at home, going 16-4 (.800) during his time at LSU and owning a 32-6 (.842) record at Alabama. While with the Crimson Tide, Saban has posted four perfect home SEC slates and has not lost more than one home conference game in any season other than 2007 (two losses). All six of his losses at home have been by seven points or less with half of those by three or fewer. Under Saban, Alabama football has outscored its SEC home opponents 1,230-553 (32.4-14.6 points per game) and has limited the opposition to 14 points or less on 23 occasions, including six shutout victories.
Saban owns a 100-26 (.794) career record in 126 games against SEC opponents. While at Alabama, he has compiled a 70-13 (.844) record versus conference foes, and is outscoring opponents by a staggering 3,309-1,297, or 39.9-15.6 points per game. Of his 13 losses against SEC opponents while at Alabama, all but two (Florida, 2008 and South Carolina, 2010) have been by seven points or less. Saban’s first matchup with an SEC team came in the 1995 Independence Bowl against LSU, where his Michigan State Spartans fell, 45-26, to the Tigers. He would later go on to coach LSU to 30-12 overall record against conference opponents.
Alabama’s 33-14 win over No. 6 Texas A&M today gives head coach Nick Saban 68 career wins vs. Associated Press Top 25 teams, good for third all-time. Former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno leads the list with 86, four victories ahead of Florida State’s Bobby Bowden (82). Paul “Bear” Bryant is fourth at 66. Recently retired Duke, Florida and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is fifth at 64. Saban’s winning percentage against AP ranked teams (68-37, .648) tops Bryant (.592), Bowden (.557), Spurrier (.529) and Paterno (.512).
Saban is quickly moving up the charts for victories in SEC regular-season games against conference opponents with 99 following the win over Texas A&M on Oct. 22. His 99 wins moves him into a tie for sixth with Auburn’s Shug Jordan and Tennessee’s Phil Fulmer on the league’s list of conference wins. Each coach ahead of Saban on the list, except for recently retired South Carolina and Florida head coach Steve Spurrier, is in the College Football Hall of Fame. Paul “Bear” Bryant tops the list with 159 conference wins at Kentucky (1946-53) and Alabama (1958-82). Spurrier is second with 131 league wins followed by Johnny Vaught (Ole Miss, 106), and Vince Dooley (Georgia, 105). Saban ranks first in league history in SEC regular season winning percentage at .792 (99-26). He is second in league history in winning percentage in all games at .821 (156-34). Saban is eighth on the SEC career wins list at 156. Tennessee’s Robert Neyland is seventh at 173.
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Under Saban, the Crimson Tide is 101-6 (.943) when leading at the half. Alabama led Texas A&M, 13-7, at the half on Oct. 22, and has held the lead in 18 of its last 23 games dating back to the start of the 2015 season, including seven of eight games this season.