Alabama Football: 30 Greatest Games in Crimson Tide History

In the storied history of the Alabama Crimson Tide, there have been dozens of truly great games. Check out this list of the 30 Greatest of All-Time.

A couple of years ago we published the 25 Greatest Games of the Alabama football, Nick Saban era. Choosing 25 was difficult. Notable games were not included.

Our latest list was a far greater challenge. Of the 900-plus wins for Alabama football, choosing the 30 greatest games meant not including a few dozen of what were deemed, ‘great-but less great’ games.

Context was also considered. In a particular season or era of Crimson Tide football, the significance of an individual game was deemed important. National Championship games and big wins over long-time rivals dominate the list. To pare the list down to 30 games, not every Playoff, semi-final win was included. Those omitted were important wins, but in a couple of cases, the contests were such mismatches, they did not qualify as ‘great’ wins.

There is at least one win included from every major era of Alabama Football history. Going back to the Wallace Wade era, through Frank Thomas, Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant and Gene Stallings, periods of Crimson Tide greatness populate the list. Not surprisingly, the Nick Saban era dominates the list.

Another game that did not make the cut carries strong historical significance. The man who put Alabama Football on the national, college football map was Xen Scott. In his last Crimson Tide season, an ailing Scott took the Tide to Philadelphia to play Penn. Penn’s decades of college football prominence had long since faded. In 1922 they were no longer one of the top teams in the East. Even so, the eastern press scoffed at the idea that Scott’s Tide team would be anything but embarrassed by the Quakers. The Crimson Tide won 9-7, setting the stage for what was to follow under, Scott’s successor, Wallace Wade.

Note: The 30 games which follow are presented chronologically, rather than a ‘best’ numerical ranking. No comparison was made as to how teams of different eras might be ranked as the Crimson Tide’s best.