ESPN article - How Bama bounced back

[Cruloc]

How Alabama bounced back from early stumbles to take charge of the SEC West

Three weeks ago, critics suggested Nick Saban was losing his fastball and the Tide were in trouble. Now they're in the SEC West driver's seat.

www.espn.com

 

[RTR2u]

Good read.

 

[CoolBreeze]

Meh, I guess it is an ok piece. Thing is, we are a victim of our own success so when we struggle a little bit it is "Saban needs to retire, dynasty is dead, yada, yada, yada." Lot of posters on this site are also in that camp. But I am here to tell you that we have the best coach, the best players and the best program in the Nation and I am happy to see egg all over the media's face. But just because you are the best does not mean you are always going to win, always going to dominate. It means you get up when knocked down and keep on getting up. Some will say the Tide is turning. I'd say it's been high Tide around here for almost 2 decades.

 

[RollTide_HTTR]

All the takes are still too premature IMO. We could still theoretically lose 2 more games and people would be back to the old takes.

Or what happens if we do make the SECCG and we get blown out by Georgia?

 

[ROCKEE]

Meh, I guess it is an ok piece. Thing is, we are a victim of our own success so when we struggle a little bit it is "Saban needs to retire, dynasty is dead, yada, yada, yada." Lot of posters on this site are also in that camp. But I am here to tell you that we have the best coach, the best players and the best program in the Nation and I am happy to see egg all over the media's face. But just because you are the best does not mean you are always going to win, always going to dominate. It means you get up when knocked down and keep on getting up. Some will say the Tide is turning. I'd say it's been high Tide around here for almost 2 decades.

Couldn’t have said it better myself. RTR

 

[We_are_Bama]

That piece was just another example of how fast the pendulum can swing in the other direction. First, we drop one to Texas and then struggle mightily with a BAD South Florida team and the dynasty is dead. Then we beat Ole Miss at home, beat a bad Mississippi State team on the road, and beat a vastly overrated aTm in College Station, and suddenly, we are the kings of college football again and Georgia better watch out. At the end of the day, I just don't see any way that we are not going to lose again. Either we will drop one we aren't supposed to, or we will win out in the regular season and Georgia will beat us in the SECCG. That's when the pendulum will fly quickly back in the other direction. This is a good Bama team. Not great, just good. 2023 is not a playoff year. We are most likely a New Year's 6 team this year and that's ok! Lots of programs would take that in a New York minute

 

[CoolBreeze]

All the takes are still too premature IMO. We could still theoretically lose 2 more games and people would be back to the old takes.

Or what happens if we do make the SECCG and we get blown out by Georgia?

Yea, I don't see it.

 

[CoolBreeze]

That piece was just another example of how fast the pendulum can swing in the other direction. First, we drop one to Texas and then struggle mightily with a BAD South Florida team and the dynasty is dead. Then we beat Ole Miss at home, beat a bad Mississippi State team on the road, and beat a vastly overrated aTm in College Station, and suddenly, we are the kings of college football again and Georgia better watch out. At the end of the day, I just don't see any way that we are not going to lose again. Either we will drop one we aren't supposed to, or we will win out in the regular season and Georgia will beat us in the SECCG. That's when the pendulum will fly quickly back in the other direction. This is a good Bama team. Not great, just good. 2023 is not a playoff year. We are most likely a New Year's 6 team this year and that's ok! Lots of programs would take that in a New York minute

Lot of UGA love for a team that almost lost to barney team full of scrubs. I like our chances in every game we play the rest of the season including little bowl cut.

 

[CajunCrimson]

Remember, Georgia is a work in progress too.

It won’t be a cakewalk.

 

[We_are_Bama]

Lot of UGA love for a team that almost lost to barney team full of scrubs. I like our chances in every game we play the rest of the season including little bowl cut.

The Georgia that played so poorly against the barn will NOT be the same Georgia that we face IF we make it to the SECCG. They didn't exactly squeak by Kentucky last week. Granted, that's just Kentucky, but that could have been the game where the pieces begin to come together. We haven't had such a game yet

 

[CoolBreeze]

The Georgia that played so poorly against the barn will NOT be the same Georgia that we face IF we make it to the SECCG. They didn't exactly squeak by Kentucky last week. Granted, that's just Kentucky, but that could have been the game where the pieces begin to come together. We haven't had such a game yet

You can be scared of them if you want but all I see is another opportunity to egg everyone in the face.

 

[CoolBreeze]

Remember, Georgia is a work in progress too.

It won’t be a cakewalk.

Nothing will be a cakewalk and that goes for this Saturday against the Hogs. But I like this team and pretty fond of our coach. Again, I like our chances.

 

[TideEngineer08]

You can be scared of them if you want but all I see is another opportunity to egg everyone in the face.

The thing about this game, potential game that is, that is so different from 2021 is that it is likely going to be a winner take all game for a playoff berth.

The SEC will not get 2 teams in this year without utter devastation elsewhere.

 

[We_are_Bama]

You can be scared of them if you want but all I see is another opportunity to egg everyone in the face.

Time will tell. I hope I'm wrong about Georgia. I hope they lose 2-3 games and don't make it to the SECCG, even if that means...pulling for....UcheaT when they play Georgia, hard as that will be. I'd love for Bama to be the reason they didn't 3 peat, but if they stumble somewhere else along the way, I'll take that too

 

[CoolBreeze]

The thing about this game, potential game that is, that is so different from 2021 is that it is likely going to be a winner take all game for a playoff berth.

The SEC will not get 2 teams in this year without utter devastation elsewhere.

So you are saying because of that Bama will lose to UGA in the SECCG? Sorry, I do not think UGA is a better team than us, not now and not in the championship game in Atlanta.

 

[Cruloc]

So you are saying because of that Bama will lose to UGA in the SECCG? Sorry, I do not think UGA is a better team that us, not now and not in the championship game in Atlanta.

Where did he say Bama will lose to UGA in the SECCG? He said, basically, that its a playoff game, the winner is in, the loser is out. Unlike 2021 where we won and both teams made it.

 

[CoolBreeze]

Time will tell. I hope I'm wrong about Georgia. I hope they lose 2-3 games and don't make it to the SECCG, even if that means...pulling for....UcheaT when they play Georgia, hard as that will be. I'd love for Bama to be the reason they didn't 3 peat, but if they stumble somewhere else along the way, I'll take that too

Don't get me wrong. Georgia is a very good team and would think that they will continue to slay that cupcake schedule of theirs. But when they meet Bama in the SECCG they are going to go against a very hungry group. In case you forgot, here is a juicy morsel from the article:
"They've never gone more than two years without winning a national title under Saban, which puts his astonishing run into perspective."

 

[CoolBreeze]

Where did he say Bama will lose to UGA in the SECCG? He said, basically, that its a playoff game, the winner is in, the loser is out. Unlike 2021 where we won and both teams made it.

That was my question to him. My point is I think we have the better team and will beat them regardless of the stakes.

 

[Cruloc]

That was my question to him. My point is I think we have the better team and will beat them regardless of the stakes.

Both teams are continuing to improve, we'll see what happens if we both get there. We have a few more potential dog fights, they don't. Both team winning out to get there......hopefully us being in multiple dog fights gives us an edge.

 

[TideEngineer08]

So you are saying because of that Bama will lose to UGA in the SECCG? Sorry, I do not think UGA is a better team than us, not now and not in the championship game in Atlanta.

Oh no. Heck no. Let me clarify...

I see this playing out like 2021 did and I agree with you that I think it is setting up for us to be big underdogs and the whole world talking about how they and their cyborg TE are going to throttle us. And we throttle them.

Well this time, there will be no rematch. The SEC won't get 2 teams in. I don't care if Georgia is 12-1 after an SEC championship game loss. Their SOS sucks and there are too many other good teams in the rest of the P5 conferences.