“When you get to the top of the mountain, you become the mountain.”- Nick Saban
The Alabama head football coach made this statement in his HBO documentary with Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots. He has been at the top of the college football mountain since 2009, and has been able to withstand LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Florida and an Atlantic Coast Conference challenger in Clemson in the process. When a program does defeat the Crimson Tide, it becomes the equivalent of winning a Super Bowl – due to its sustained dominance.
Whether it’s rival fans or national media, so many live to see Saban lose.
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Upon defeating the Tide in last year’s College Football Playoff National Championship, the conversation was less on Clemson’s win and more on Alabama’s loss. Even with the team not involved for the Southeastern Conference title game, people couldn’t stop discussing Alabama.
A prime example as to why the Tide pays the bills in the sport is LSU’s reaction after beating it, in comparison to the reaction after winning an SEC title. Per the video listed below, Joe Burrow runs down the line to embrace every Tiger fan after knocking off the Tide. It had not beaten its SEC West foe in eight attempts (since 2011), so it felt as though a huge weight was lifted off.
— Ugly Sweater Party Dec 15th (@FunnyMaine) December 8, 2019
While it was overjoyed to beat Alabama, LSU did not carry the same energy after Georgia.
It was a basic walk down the aisle and shaking the hands of supporters, as if it had been down this road before.
This adds to the point of it means more for teams to beat the Tide versus winning championships.
As much as people want to see Saban and the Tide go away, it is not fading anytime soon. The Tide is hard at work on the recruiting trail and after it faces Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, the goal returns to doing all things possible to get back to a national championship.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
