Alabama Football: After Iron Bowl win, what to say about the Crimson Tide

An Alabama Football win in an Iron Bowl is always significant. On Saturday, the 87th Iron Bowl went as expected, with the better team winning, while coming close to covering the 22.5-point spread.

Also as expected, the Cadillac Williams-motivated Auburn Tigers fought hard throughout. The Tigers rushed for 339 (sack adjusted) yards on the Crimson Tide, which is, unofficially the most by an FBS opponent in Nick Saban’s Alabama tenure.

The Crimson Tide getting to 10 wins is a bigger deal than many Alabama football fans realize. The Iron Bowl propelled the Crimson Tide to two college football records. Alabama was tied with Oklahoma for the most 10 (or more) win seasons at 41. The Tide is now No. 1 among FBS teams at 42.

Alabama also moved past Florida State, with now 15 consecutive 10 (or more) win seasons. FSU set the record of 14 in the 2000 season.

For some Alabama fans, those milestones are dimmed by the probable inability to make this season’s CFB Playoffs. My response is – it is okay to expect too much of CFB’s greatest-ever program, but making a four-team Playoff every season is realistically a ‘too-much’ expectation.

The season is not over, but it is fair to say the 2022 Crimson Tide has not been a complete team. Alabama again did not play a complete game against Auburn. Along with being gashed for 339 yards on the ground, the Crimson Tide committed 11 penalties, amounting to 102 yards.

Alabama Football and the 2022 Season

But let’s not be too harsh. Alabama may not be a great team this season, but it is a good one. Even if the Selection Committee thinks otherwise, Alabama is arguably the third, fourth, or at worst, fifth-best team this season.

Saturday night Nick Saban talked about how vocal nay-sayers affected his team.

Every Alabama football fan should heed Nick Saban’s words. Sure, as fans, we are entitled to demand perfection, no matter how unrealistic is its attainment. We can question the Alabama football staff and call for the firings of Bill O’Brien and Pete Golding. We are even entitled to jump to too-quick conclusions and to erroneously believe we 100% understand all the Tide’s failings and how to correct them.

But, as Nick Saban suggests, doing these things too loudly and too often can harm a team and even a program. So maybe for a few days or even a few weeks, when looking through our crimson-tinted glasses, let’s enjoy the view.

Note: Crimson Tide Sugar Bowl history below from mcubed.net

After the LSU loss to Texas A&M, and if no Alabama Playoff spot, a trip to New Orleans will do just fine. It would give the Crimson Tide program an opportunity at its first, non-Playoff, Sugar Bowl win since losing to Oklahoma on Jan. 1, 2014.