Polling fan confidence about the next Alabama Football National Championship

One Fall Camp day into the 2024 Alabama Football season brings back memories of Fall Camp in 2009. Alabama was going into Nick Saban's third season, following a 12-2 season that ended with two disappointing losses. Instead of dismay, optimism could not have been higher. Alabama fans firmly believed Nick Saban would soon deliver another National Championship.

The belief in Saban did not blossom in 2008. It was there from the start. A 2007, 7-6 campaign did nothing to blunt it. Renowned Alabama author, Rick Bragg wrote about the A-Day Game before the 2007 season. Bragg described the 92,000 Alabama fans as only an Alabama person could. What they felt, Bragg felt. Bragg wrote Saban "would take them forward by taking them back to the glory of their past."

There could have easily been reasons to doubt. Alabama football fans had lived through 14 seasons without a National Championship. And that one in 1992, was the only one since Bear Bryant's last in 1979. One National Championship in 27 Crimson Tide seasons had long fueled claims of Alabama's decay from a national power to just another team.

Nick Saban not only changed the narrative. He wrote new college football history. In February Bragg wrote about Saban's run and what it was like with him gone,

"And here at home in Alabama—where things were so good for so, so long—our chests hurt a little bit. The future seemed hard to fathom. For the first time since 2007, the dawn of an era of unprecedented dominance, we will look at a Crimson Tide sideline without seeing Saban.

He left The University of Alabama with six national championships and a trophy case that sagged with a metric ton of glittering proof that dreams absolutely do come true...and that sometimes you can even take them for granted."

- Rick Bragg

We did too, sometimes take them for granted. Tracing back to the 2009 National Championship, the 2023 season was Saban's longest drought without a national title. Now Alabama football fans wonder if three seasons without a title become four or five - or longer.

A recent Bama Hammer poll asked fans to choose, "Alabama Football's next National Championship will happen in ... The choices were the '2024 season'; the '2025 season'; 'Within five seasons'; and 'Never under Kalen DeBoer'.

The top response at 50.3% was within five seasons. Next at 28.6% was the 2024 season and 18.4% chose the 2025 season. For full disclosure, my vote was the 2025 season.

What stands out, is nearly half of Alabama fans have faith Kalen DeBoer will bring Alabama another national title within two seasons. That is not far below the optimism I remember back in the summer of 2009. It takes a truly special college football program to follow the exit of CFB's all-time GOAT and have such belief more greatness lies ahead.

Also, a 'special' thanks goes out to the 2.7% of poll responders who chose 'Never under DeBoer'. It must be hard being Auburn fans.