Tuscaloosa – Nick Saban recruits the highest rated high school players in the nation for Bama.  They blasted Utah State last Saturday, 55-0, and it could have been a lot worse.  Why does Saban insist on finding the best players in the nation and then seek teams for his schedule not even close to his level of talent? In our case, the only thing we got out of this “game” was checking the box for finally seeing Bama play a home game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, our 76th venue among all in the Football Bowl (eventually “B” will be supplemented with a “P” for “Professional”) Subdivision.  We witnessed the pregame excitement and all pageantry before kickoff, but everyone in attendance and the many Crimson Tide no-shows knew already what was going to happen.  The bookies set the line at 41.5 points.  Oh, the excitement – Not!  Why bother?

Why we announce our “tentative” schedule every season

    When planning our schedule earlier this year, the price of a ticket for Texas A&M at Bama started at over $300/seat in the upper level.  Probably sky-rocketed after Saban made his remarks about Jimbo Fisher “buying” recruits Bama wanted.  Reviewing our selection of games for September 3, the best regarding an affordable, competitive game for us looked like Elon (FCS) at nearby Vanderbilt.  The Commodores appear on our slate again the following week as we have a close contingent of Wake Forest friends coming into town to see the Deacs play.  We needed to see someone different.

    Realizing we plan to see Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson ranked 2-3-4 on our schedule already this season, why not get No. 1 Bama?  Wow!  $33/seat for Utah State game this weekend.  Gas prices have fallen from Tennessee to Alabama into the low $3’s. For a tank and a half, that’s much better than close to $5+/ gallon when checking on the A&M opportunity months ago.  And even better, we had enough points to get a free night at a Microtel right in Tuscaloosa. Usually, rentals that close to game day are not available. Our first hint on what to expect, evidently. My wife, St. Laurie, had no interest in going.  We had just gotten back from Penn State at Purdue.  She figures she’s already hit one of three games she will possibly attend this season.  Cheap trip for one!

Plans with budgets in mind

    For collegefootballfan.com, this looked like a bargain basement sale.  Only the gas would cost more than a 20-minute drive to Vanderbilt!  On top of that, the hotel manager suggested the bus shuttle at the nearby mall within walking distance for $15 round trip.  Much cheaper than a stadium parking space. Bama even offers an honest-to-goodness printed football program (121 pages plus ads). Few schools do that anymore.  “Scan the barcode on the video board”  for your virtual program, most announce.  Yeah, right!  My wife rejoices my game program collection no longer grows so she won’t have to recycle more if I’m gone before she is.  And, “Alabama Game Day” only costs $5!  Well as they say, “You get what you pay for.”  The game started.

As they exclaimed in Ancient Rome, “Let the games begin!”

    Utah State received the opening kick-off. QB Logan Bonner completed a 23-yard pass on first down from scrimmage.  Everyone in attendance had just witnessed the Utah State offensive highlight of the game.  The Aggie defense held Bama to Will Reichard’s field goal of 45 yards on their first possession.  That turned out to be State’s defensive highlight for the game, at least for their first team.   Every subsequent Bama score preceded a touchback on every kickoff beyond through the second series of the third quarter.  All but one of those forthcoming Bama possessions resulted in a touchdown.  The other ended in a field goal.  At halftime, Bama led 41-0. 

Saban kept Heisman candidate Bryce Young in for the first series in Q3.  On that drive and before the subsequent 48-0 score, he summoned Young’s back-up Jalen Milroe along the sideline to get ready for the next series.  Even hard-hitting LB Will Anderson Jr. played into the third on defense.  I guess Saban needed to assure the Crimson Tide fans that he would cover the 41.5 line.  For all the bloody details of the 55-0 Bama decimation, we don’t need to record the bloodshed here, just click here to read about the decimation we witnessed for yourself.

    This “contest” was like watching the Atlanta Braves play a Little League team.  Probably like watching lions gore Christians in the Roman Coliseum.  Like me playing Tiger Woods, at any age, in golf.  You call this competition?   Nick Saban and a few other coaches monopolize the top talent for college football.  The kids that want to go pro go to those few, and the few happily take the best of what’s available (before they opt out now for the portal when they don’t start).  All the other schools get everybody else to mix and match to fill in their needs.  In the end, why can’t the few “pick on somebody their own size” as the saying goes?  You recruit the best, so play the best.  Why bother with playing significantly less talented opponents? The “best” all come out on top of the polls eventually any way.

Consideration for upcoming games at Bama

   Funny, the hotel desk clerk told me I was “lucky” coming his weekend.  Usually, people have to book a minimum of two or three nights for a Bama home game.  Since Utah State visited, just one night needed.  Initially, I thought this was because Utah State was not considered a good game.  Then I thought, well maybe the hotel management assumed not may fans from Utah would make it to the Alabama campus.  Even more Bama fans didn’t based on the supply and prices offered on line.

    Looking at future home games at Bryant-Denny this season: UL Monroe visits in two weeks, Vanderbilt comes the week after, Mississippi State buses in on October 22, and middle of the road, FCS Austin Peay arrives the week before the big Auburn rivalry on Thanksgiving weekend.  Does the hotel think that fans of ULM, Vandy, and APU will drive in droves to spend a few nights in Tuscaloosa to come see their teams play Bama for big paychecks and a result similarly suffered by USU this evening?  

Rather than see their teams get rocked like the Aggies, ULM fans will probably prefer to watch Mississippi State beat LSU on TV. Vandy fans can hold their money to buy season baseball tickets before spring.  Austin Peay fans will find other things to do as usual.  Not many showed up in nearby Bowling Green, KY last week.  It would have been nice Saturday night if someone at B-D could have changed the channel on the videoboard to the Ohio State -ND game, especially with the Irish leading 10-7.

Hey Nick, pick on someone your own size

    The Texas A&M game with Fisher highlights the Bama home excitement in 2022.  The Auburn rivalry remains the no-brainer rivalry.   Mississippi State always wants a shot at The Tide no matter what.  However, at least Saban should disregard the temptations of showing off his superior talent over the likes of ULM and Austin Peay every season.  Everybody criticizes ND for playing a “weak” schedule (despite Ohio State, Clemson, BYU, and USC this year).  Fans rightfully bust Michigan this year for playing three non-Power Five teams.  Oklahoma’s non-conference slate has been pretty shoddy over the past few years.   Bama has played SEC east rival Georgia only twice in the regular season in the last 13 years.  The point here is these are among programs Bama competes with for the similar talent in the off-season.

   Saban can probably call any of these programs to schedule home and home series they could agree to.  Last time Bama did such was booked before he coached here.  Penn State got pushed back though a year when they had no returning QB experience.  However, past history indicates to be Saban wants to play only one and done with Power 5 teams.  Usually at a “neutral” site, like Atlanta. Right!  Surely Notre Dame, Jim Harbaugh, and OU are not dumb enough to bite on that.  When Saban insists because he needs an additional home game to subsidize other Bama athletic teams, look closer.

All about whose money?

    Rough counts indicate The Tide competes in only seven men’s NCAA sports programs and eight in women’s sports. Do you know how many other schools compete in?  By rough count: Michigan – 13 for men, 14 for women; ND – 12 and 12; Ohio State – 18 and 19; Penn State- 15 and 14; Stanford – 16 and 20; USNA 20 and 14 (only 4,000 students, but federally funded to some extent along with donations to NAAA); Ivies Princeton and Harvard – 18-18 and 20-20 respectively (of course, alumni endowments could probably fund every student’s tuition every year). 

Two other points here.  Are other Alabama students relegated more to waving shakers at football games than being encouraged to participate in other sports while matriculating at Alabama?  Young men can’t participate in wrestling, gymnastics, lacrosse, volleyball, or shooting sports like at other schools.  And women at Alabama can’t pursue field hockey, water polo, lacrosse, or fencing.  The other point is that with fewer sports, Bama football gets to retain more funds than other Power Five participants do for football.

Good Saint Nick

   As for another supposed reason the SEC schedules FCS teams – benevolence. Really?  They want to give less financially sound programs the benefit of funding in exchange for a win if necessary to get a bowl bid – not that Bama or UGA need this.  What’s Saban making?  $9.3 million annually?  If he’s so caring of other programs, why doesn’t he take the $300,000 of the $9.3M and donate it each year to an FCS program of his choice?  With the player’s NIL money, why don’t they take up a collection?  They may have to someday if nobody wants to play them under such overwhelming odds in the future.  If Kirby Smart and UGA did the same with their cash, why can’t The Tide and ‘Dawgs schedule a non-conference game between each other every year when they don’t play an SEC game? 

Proceeds can go to FCS programs of their choices.  The draw surely sells out, gets their fans truly fired up, creates a great natural rivalry played annually, and doesn’t impact their capability for either to knock themselves out of the SEC championship those seasons. This would probably give both even more recruiting advantages, not that either needs more right now.  But why not?  They basically dominate most of the other teams in the SEC when it comes to recruiting already. Win, win, win, win, win for Bama, UGA, SEC, FCS, and all the fans.

Nick The GOAT?

     Caught some of the retort between two “experts” on TV we catch on the fly at the gym.  Stephen A. Smith refers to Nick Saban as the greatest college coach of all time.  Chris “Mad Dog” Russo countered with Notre Dame’s Ara Parseghian.  We say this, it’s difficult to compare the two based on what coaching is mostly about today.  Coaching can be broken down into three main parts: executing game plans, player development, and RECRUITING. The third is entirely the major emphasis in today’s game than it was twenty, thirty, or more years ago.  If it wasn’t, Saban’s bellyaching on national news about Fisher’s recruiting tactics wouldn’t cause the consternation residing today between the two.  Trouble is, this will get worse before it gets better.

     We can say that for college football, Nick Saban is probably he best recruiter out there because every talented player wants to play for him.  He starts head and shoulders among all coaches because he attracts and selects the best talent to play for him every year.  How do we judge him in the other two aspects? As far as player development, we counted about thirty guys along the sideline with red-striped Alabama golf shirts on against Utah State. Many with clipboards. So there’s evidently analysis and development going on.  He pays his coaches a lot to coordinate games for him. Many eventually leave to take on head coaching jobs elsewhere.

Football GOAT at being smart

     However, let’s consider leveling the talent field when it comes to coaching football.  After two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, as head coach in 2005-2006 with a 15-17 record, Nick Saban high-tailed it back to the college. He knew his forte was recruiting.  In the NFL, a team can’t hoard significantly more or better talent than all the other opponents. Teams also don’t get to load schedules with teams much weaker. The NFL shares revenues and levels the playing field every year based on records of teams the previous year.  Strength of records and schedules are calculated to level the competition. Some organizations still struggle despite this every year.   This comes down primarily to managing game execution. 

     Nick Saban was smart enough to know his weaknesses and strengths when it comes to coaching. He made the most of it in college football.  He knows better than anyone how to tilt the playing field and under today’s standards, he’s the best at what he does.  Look at his record.   

Enough vented here about the non-competitive nature of college football today.  Bring on the “FPS” and get it over with.  Saban’s players will always be in demand by the pros.

Next up!

    Bama heads for their one Power Five non-conference at Texas next Saturday.  Former Bama OC Steve Sarkasian faces his former boss. Until recently, only Jimbo Fisher and Kirby Smart have been able to finally knock off their former mentor.  Both happened last year.  Others including them failed previously. What chance does Sark have two years removed from Tuscaloosa?

    Utah State gets to play their FCS game hosting Weber State next week. The Wildcats finished at No. 20 in the FCS poll last year and expect to rank again this year in the pre-season polls. They defeated Western Oregon in their opener Saturday, 41-5.  How will the loss to Bama affect the Aggies against the Wildcats?

   As related earlier, collegefootballfan.com stays in Nashville to see 2-0 Vanderbilt host 1-0 Wake Forest.  Breakfast – Bloody Mary Tailgate party!  According to our WFU aficionado, Jim “Bug “ Harton who will be our prime Guest Game Analyst, the sub QB for Heisman candidate Sam Hartman, Mitch Griffis (288 passing yards, three TD passes) looked good against VMI. However, holding by the offensive line last Thursday proved setbacks despite the 44-10 win over VMI.  HC Dave Clawson will be doing some fine-tuning this week against a Commodore team feeling good about being 2-0, already equaling last season’s victory total.  Looks to be a more competitive game than initially anticipated.  Definitely better as we recover from watching an Alabama practice and a Utah State try-out staged simultaneously Saturday night. How boring.

Ed. by – Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan whose seen ‘em all!   Click on the title to buy and submit a review. In it, Bama fans can read stories about games attended when The Tide defeated the likes of Auburn in the Iron Bowl and against Ohio State in the Kickoff Classic.  There are references to Penn State games in other chapters.  Alabama is now 10-1 in the annals of our history, but we saw them compete in these and CFP games among some of the best (ND, OU, Washington, and Clemson).  They should play these teams more often?  Why not offer home and home series? Such games against comparable talent have to be better than what transpired in Bryant-Denny Saturday night.