In the last few years under Nick Saban, fans of rival schools have casted shade upon Alabama’s non-conference schedule for football.
The Crimson Tide is usually hit the statements that range from “Alabama plays nobody” to “when will Saban schedule more elite opponents.”
Saban has done his job in 11 of 13 seasons, pitting Alabama against powerhouse programs to begin a regular season. His goal in this to gauge where his team is in relation to its ultimate goal: winning a national championship.
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Aside from facing San Jose State (2010) and Duke this fall, matching up with brand name institutions has not been difficult for Saban and the Tide.
Even in the future, Alabama has contests scheduled against Southern California (2020), Miami (2021), Texas (2022-23) and Notre Dame (2027, 2029).
Despite it having Duke, Southern Mississippi, New Mexico State and Western Carolina slated for this season, there are other schools – including Clemson and Ohio State – with non-conference games just as bad.
In last week’s airing (Saturday) of In My Own Words, Stephen Smith of Touchdown Alabama Magazine discusses why scheduling marquee opponents for Alabama is harder than what most people think. He also provides reasons to not blame the Crimson Tide for its slate of games.
You can listen to the audio version of the podcast via Spreaker.
Listen to “Reasons to not blame Bama for 2019 non-conference schedule” on Spreaker.
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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.
