Alabama Football: Comparing the Bryant 1970’s era with current Saban era

Nine Alabama football seasons in the 1970s were almost as dominant as current Saban era.

No arguments will be made by Alabama football fans about Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant and Nick Saban being college football’s two-best of all time. Fans of a few other programs can argue their best coaching duo has been as good. Any counter-claim requires a tunnel-vision of only one or two factors.

The trump card in comparative factors is National Championships. Going back into the pre-AP Poll era clouds rather than clarifies. There was no reliable standard and college football National Championships in the first several decades were awarded retroactively. In fairness to Minnesota, the Gophers won five National Championships in eight seasons. But two of the eight, 1934 and 1935, predated the AP Poll.

What triggered this recent review was another statistic, shown in the tweet below.

https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1280546411260436481

It led to a question of what about Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant’s bowl record. Bryant reached 15 bowl wins in a 38 season head coaching career. Twelve of his bowl victories were won by Alabama football teams. Nick Saban’s 15 bowl wins have come in 25 head coaching seasons. He too has 12 Alabama football bowl game wins.

One rather astounding fact about Bryant’s record gets little notice today. In eight seasons, 1967-1974, Bryant’s Crimson Tide teams failed to win a single bowl game. Except for the 24-24 tie with Oklahoma in the 1979 Bluebonnet Bowl, the Tide lost seven of eight bowl games.

At the end of the 1974 season, one of those bowl game losses cost Bryant and the Tide a National Championship. In one of the toughest physical battles in that decade, Notre Dame outlasted the Crimson Tide to win the 1975 Orange Bowl, 13-11. The game’s outcome was determined by a late Notre Dame interception while the Crimson Tide was in makeable, winning field goal range. Given the Tide’s ‘even-then’ field goal history, Bryant cannot be faulted for wanting a few more yards before an attempt.

On the fateful play, the Crimson Tide had two wide-open receivers. One was around the goal line, another at about the ten. A Notre Dame defender froze halfway between them as Tide QB, Richard Todd rolled right. Choosing either receiver should have been an easy pitch and catch. The ball slipped as Todd made the pass and allowed the Irish defender to make the interception without taking a step. The Crimson Tide finished the season ranked No. 5. A win would have clearly given the Tide shared title. Oklahoma had already won the AP title, but with the Sooners on probation, the UPI coaches would not award them with a title. At No. 3 going into the Orange Bowl, a win would have given the Tide the 1974 UPI National Championship.

The Alabama Crimson Tide finished the 1977 season as No. 2 in the AP Poll. The lone 1977 loss was a second game, one touchdown defeat to Nebraska in Lincoln. The Crimson Tide destroyed Ohio State in the 1978 Sugar Bowl, 35-6. Notre Dame, also with one loss, was the AP National Champion.

Any review of Alabama football history, by seasons, should include sports-reference.com.

Comparing the two GOATS, considering which one had the toughest rebuilding job has merit. For both the challenge was huge. The greatest difference being Bryant had to do it twice in Tuscaloosa.