Alabama football history has had several inflection points; times when things could have gone in two divergent directions and changed the course of the program forever. In an alternate timeline, those major decisions went a different way, and we're living in a very different world right now, at least as fans.
There are hundreds of individual decisions that changed the course of the program forever. But when I was thinking about this prompt, there were three that immediately came to my mind. Two of which were in the relatively recent past, and one nearly 40 years ago that would have made a big difference.
Let's have some fun on an innocuous offseason day and ponder three major "what ifs?" that changed the direction of Crimson Tide history.
What if Bobby Bowden got the Alabama job in 1987?
Legendary Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden was an Alabama native and considered the Crimson Tide his dream job. He started his playing career at Alabama on the freshman team in 1948 before transferring to Howard University (now Samford).
After successful stints at Howard and West Virginia, Bowden got the head job at Florida State in 1976 in what he himself considered a stepping stone to a bigger job. It took him little time to turn things around in Tallahassee, and by 1987 he was one of the hottest names in coaching, having led the Seminoles to three Top 10 finishes in the AP Poll.
After Ray Perkins left to be the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was believed that Bowden was the top candidate for the job. The problem is, not everyone in the athletic department agreed. Bowden had no interest in interviewing for the job, believing his track record spoke for itself. He walked into a meeting with the administration expecting a formal offer; he instead got an interview. Bowden ultimately removed his name from consideration, and Alabama hired Bill Curry, who lasted three seasons before getting run out of town because of three straight Iron Bowl losses.
Bowden launched his most dominant run at Florida State starting in 1987. For the next 14 seasons, the 'Noles finished in the Top 5 of the AP Poll every single year and never lost more than two games in a single season, capturing the National Championship in both 1993 and 1999.
Alabama ultimately hired Gene Stallings in 1990, culminating in the 1992 National Championship. There's little doubt that hiring Bowden would have led to greater success over that period. The ill-fated Bill Curry and Mike DuBose eras never happen, and Alabama probably wins a title or two just like Bowden won at Florida State.
Bowden coached through the 2009 season. He probably would have been allowed to do the same at Alabama, meaning there's no Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. Instead, his successor is probably the same at Alabama as it was at Florida State: Jimbo Fisher.
What if Tim Tebow signed with Alabama instead of Florida in the 2006 recruiting class?
The biggest "what if?" in the history of Alabama recruiting - and arguably the entire SEC - is what happens if Mike Shula pulls the stunner and lands Tim Tebow in the 2006 recruiting class? He was always working uphill against the Gators as Tebow grew up a fan of Florida, but the Heisman Trophy-winning QB has stated previously how close he was to picking Alabama because of his relationship with Shula.
If that happened, Shula's fortunes would have probably changed. Alabama was coming off a 10-2 season in 2005. Tebow is probably Alabama's starting QB his true freshman season, and likely swings at least a couple of results.
Alabama went 6-6 that regular season, but let's say, for the sake of argument, that he flips the one-point loss to Arkansas in September, and then it's enough to get Alabama over the Auburn hump in the Iron Bowl. That would push Alabama to an 8-4 record with a solid bowl game to boot, and would have easily bought Shula more time.
What happens from there is anybody's guess. Tebow won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 at Florida, and then led the Gators to the National Championship in 2008. He wouldn't have reached those heights with Shula in Tuscaloosa, but Alabama probably does well enough that Shula remains the Tide's head coach through Tebow's tenure.
The biggest domino from Tebow choosing Alabama would be Nick Saban never coming to Tuscaloosa. He stays with the Miami Dolphins that offseason instead, and then still finds his way back to college football the following season or after waiting a year for a better opportunity to open.
There's a world where - gulps - Saban ends up creating dynasties at either Tennessee or Auburn. Gross.
What if Alabama hired Rich Rodriguez instead of Nick Saban in 2007?
Mal Moore's preference was to always wait out Saban after firing Mike Shula following the 2006 season, but pressure from boosters and the administration to make a quicker hire led Moore to offer the job to West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez, who initially accepted the job before ultimately turning it down. Thanks, Rita!
But what if Rich Rod takes the Bama job instead? It probably goes just like his tenure went in Ann Arbor when he took the Michigan gig the following offseason. Rodriguez tried to change a power team to fit his finesse style in Ann Arbor, which led to a 15-22 mark in three seasons. He was close to getting things rolling there, but the Wolverines didn't have the patience. Alabama wouldn't have, either.
He almost certainly has the same - or worse - results in Tuscaloosa. That means Alabama is looking for a coach again following the 2009 season, when they won the National Championship in our timeline under Saban.
Assuming Saban is off the market and has another college gig already, who are the realistic candidates for Alabama to pursue that offseason? The hottest name would have been TCU's Gary Patterson, who would have brought a defensive-first mindset that Alabama fans love. He was coming off a 12-1 season and a Fiesta Bowl berth, and was one season away from leading the Horned Frogs to a perfect 13-0 season and a Rose Bowl win.
Other options would have included Boise State's Chris Petersen, Stanford's Jim Harbaugh, and Cincinnati's Brian Kelly, who took the Notre Dame job in real life that offseason after leading the Bearcats to an undefeated regular season.
Florida DC Charlie Strong and FSU coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher might have been options for Alabama, too. Some may have found success, but it obviously would have paled in comparison to what Saban accomplished in Tuscaloosa.
If you haven't thanked Rich Rod and his wife recently for turning the job down, you should.
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