Alabama Football: Celebrating a decade while looking forward to the next one

The 2010-2019 decade was the most glorious ever for Alabama football. Now is a good time to look back and also to look forward.

With Alabama football on an undetermined respite, it is a good time to look back at the most glorious decade in Crimson Tide history. In the ten seasons, 2010-2019, the Alabama Crimson Tide won four National Championships and five SEC Championships.

It also led the nation in winning percentage in overall games and road games. Alabama football fans remember the decade well. Rather than recounting the highlights, let’s take a look at the nine top teams that trailed the Crimson Tide in the decade’s ten best.

A concession is made to an argument that varied schedule strength clouds the data. It does to an extent. Resolving that question would require an algorithmic solution. But that solution would become subject for debate. Besides, over a period of ten years, strength of schedule, disparities are diminished.

Top Ten Winning Percentage – All Games 2010-2019

Note: Only teams having played a minimum of 100 FBS games were considered

1. Alabama Crimson Tide – 89.2 percent (124-15)
2. Ohio State Buckeyes – 86.7 percent (117-18)
3. Clemson Tigers – 83.6 percent (117-23)
4. Oklahoma Sooners – 81.3 percent (109-25)
5. Boise State Broncos – 80.5 percent (107-26)
6. LSU Bengal Tigers – 78.6 percent (103-28)
7. Oregon Ducks – 75.9 percent (101-32)
8. Wisconsin Badgers – 75 percent (102-34)
9. Stanford Cardinal – 73.6 percent (98-35)
10. Georgia Bulldogs – 73.5 percent (100-36)

Top Ten Winning Percentage – Road Games 2010-2019

Note: Neutral site games do not count as road games. Only the ten teams from the list above were included.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide – 85.7 percent (36-6)
2. Oklahoma Sooners – 85.4 percent (41-7)
3. Ohio State Buckeyes – 82.6 percent (38-8)
4. Boise State Broncos – 73.7 percent (42-15)
5. Clemson Tigers – 73.5 percent (36-13)
6. Georgia Bulldogs – 69.8 percent (30-13)
7. Wisconsin Badgers – 68.8 percent (33-15)
8. Oregon Ducks – 68.6 percent (36-16)
9. Stanford Cardinal – 65.5 percent (36-19)
10. LSU Bengal Tigers – 65.1 percent (28-15)

By these measurements and any others, Alabama football had one heck of a run in the preceding decade. It is a tough act to follow, but who is to say the Crimson Tide cannot have another outstanding decade beginning in 2020.

Speaking of 2020, the list below shows the last time a 2020 opponent beat the Crimson Tide.

• Southern Cal – Sept. 1978
• Georgia State – Never
• Kent State – Never
• Ole Miss – Sept. 2015
• Arkansas – Sept. 2006
• Mississippi State – Nov. 2007
• Tennessee – Oct. 2006
• LSU – Nov. 2019
• Tennessee Martin – Never
• Texas A&M – Nov. 2012
• Auburn – Nov. 2019

The foremost question is not will the Crimson Tide redeem itself next season. Rather, it is will the schedule be modified or delayed.?

How great was the Tide, last decade? Clemson and Oklahoma won a combined 13 conference titles to five for the Crimson Tide. Together those two teams combined for only two National Championships. The Crimson Tide had twice as many.