Studying and teaching history, it's hard to turn that part of your brain off. Especially when covering topics and relating them to the present. Watching Alabama football navigate modern college football has felt oddly familiar. Comparisons from these two different subjects can be made, especially in the way that people view them. "Alabama isn't good anymore." " Alabama fell off." "Alabama isn't the same without Saban." Like the Roman Empire after its greatest emperors, Alabama remains powerful, even as the era of overwhelming dominance fades.
Every great empire has a peak, and for Alabama football, that peak unmistakably came under Nick Saban. Championships stacked up. NFL rosters were built with players from Alabama. Top recruiting classes became routine. Playoff appearances felt automatic. For nearly two decades, Alabama didn't just compete in college football; it set the standard. Then Saban left.
That moment feels a lot like Rome after the reign of its greatest emperors. The empire didn't disappear overnight, but things looked different. The territory they took over was still holding against the barbarians. The name of the empire still carried weight, yet the feeling of inevitability was gone. They started to show vulnerability. Alabama today lives in that same space. Still elite, still relevant, but no longer operating with the overwhelming margin that it once had.
At its peak, Rome didn't just win wars. It defined civilizations. Roads, law, and military structure all led to Rome. Alabama football occupied that same space for a decade. Fans rushed the field when they beat Alabama for handing the Tide their one or two losses a season. Championships became the expectation, not the goal. Other programs weren't just trying to beat Alabama; they were trying to be Alabama. If college football had a capital city, Tuscaloosa held the keys.
But dominance has a cost. Rome expanded its borders so far that defending them became nearly impossible. Alabama, similarly, built an empire in a sport that no longer exists in the same form. NIL, the transfer portal, and expanded playoffs. All these changes didn't weaken Alabama, but they are stretching the system that once made dominance feel routine. When everyone has access to resources, the gap narrows. Rome learned that lesson the hard way. Alabama football is learning it in real time.
One of Rome's biggest challenges wasn't invasion but transition. Leadership changes, shifting values, and internal strain mattered more than external forces. Alabama football is experiencing something similar in the "Post-Saban" era. The program is still stocked with talent, still recruiting at a high level, but the identity is evolving. Fans are adjusting, too. Let's be honest, adjusting expectations may be the hardest part. Recalibrating fans' expectations from being the pinnacle of college football may be harder than defending the Rhine from the Visigoths. Once you reach the top of the mountain, the only way is down.
Then there's the money. Rome increasingly relied on mercenaries instead of citizen soldiers. They traded loyalty for convenience. Sound familiar? The modern roster is more fluid than ever in college football. The talent remains elite, but maintaining continuity is harder. When everything becomes transactional, cohesion doesn't disappear; it just requires more attention.
Here's the key point, though: Rome didn't vanish. The Eastern Roman Empire thrived for centuries after the "fall." Rome's influence didn't end. It did transform, though. Alabama football is in a similar place. Still relevant, and fans are still rushing the field after beating them. They haven't collapsed into oblivion and never will. They will recalibrate and survive in the new landscape of college football. They will adapt and still be there at the end of the year, post-season talks. They just may never be the same as the Saban Era.
If Alabama is Rome in this analogy, then no, the empire isn't burning. It's just remodeling. The Saban era set a standard so high that anything short of dominance feels like the end. This stage requires patience more than panic. The impact of the last decade of Alabama dominance will live on.