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10 Reasons Alabama Will Beat Clemson

By Ronald Evans

Jan 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban and running back Derrick Henry (2) celebrate with the 2016 CFP National Championship trophy after beating the Clemson Tigers at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban and running back Derrick Henry (2) celebrate with the 2016 CFP National Championship trophy after beating the Clemson Tigers at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney congratulates Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban following the 45-40 victory in the 2016 CFP National Championship at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney congratulates Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban following the 45-40 victory in the 2016 CFP National Championship at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

#1 Nick Saban is the Best in College Football

Try as you may, it is difficult to find anyone that does not have something good to say about Dabo Swinney.  He is so sincerely genuine, so clearly well intentioned, so obviously enthusiastic. It is easy to see why recruits choose Clemson and why his players love their coach.

If motivated to find a Dabo weakness, maybe he is a bit do “rah-rah” too much of the time.  Maybe he tries a little too much to be a friend to his players.  Those are just maybes, though, and they don’t matter when measuring Dabo against Saban.  Why, because it is not a fair comparison.

Nick Saban is simply the best in college football, one of the greatest ever.  Saban

does not get enough credit for the bond he forges with his players.  Players trust Saban because they know how much he cares about them.

As was equally true with Coach Bryant, Saban’s players respect him and do not want to disappoint him.

Disappointing  Saban can lead to wrath being directed at the transgressor. The intensity of Saban’s displeasure no doubt elicits fear from his players. That is part of football.  As Alabama’s first “Bear”, coach Wallace Wade said decades ago, “nobody ever got backslapped into winning anything.”

What makes an even greater impact on his players is that Saban leads and competes fearlessly. His players are immersed in that presence of mind and character. Saban’s greatest players personify their coach and compete with a commensurate fearlessness.

NEXT: The Most Ridiculous Fan Predictions of 2016The #1 reason Alabama wins – Alabama’s coach is Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney is no Nick Saban

Not even the most astute college football expert can predict the outcome of a college football game. There are just too many variables: in-game injuries; bad officiating calls; human error by players and coaches.  Between two equally matched teams, the outcome can pivot, not on who wants it more, but on who chooses to win.

For all the reasons listed above and more, Alabama does “choosing to win” better than anyone.

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