Rewind on the 2018 Bama Team

[BamaMoon]

As I normally do this time of the year, I go back and watch some of our games from a few years back.

I recently watched our 2018 game against Ole Miss, which we completely dominated, winning 62-7. In this particular game, Tua was nearly perfect. Jalen played late in the second quarter in backup duty and led us to a couple of TDs, showing he had improved already in his QB skills. Even freshman Mac Jones showed he would be a good QB in time.

I know it came unraveled at the end of the year, eventually losing to Clemson in the title game, but I just don't know how this team didn't win it all that year.

I remember the talk about us tipping plays. Did we simply lose focus because we killed everybody we played that year???

Is 2018 possibly the most loaded team we've ever had that didn't win a title???

I know I've never been more confident in a team to score and dominate a game than I was that year. I guess it is why I am still stunned to this day what happened against Clemson!

 

[bamamc1]

Most loaded team that didn't win a title? Yes. I will give you 3 reasons:
Mike Locksley
Tosh Lupoi
Pete Golding

 

[selmaborntidefan]

As I normally do this time of the year, I go back and watch some of our games from a few years back.

I recently watched our 2018 game against Ole Miss, which we completely dominated, winning 62-7. In this particular game, Tua was nearly perfect. Jalen played late in the second quarter in backup duty and led us to a couple of TDs, showing he had improved already in his QB skills. Even freshman Mac Jones showed he would be a good QB in time.

I know it came unraveled at the end of the year, eventually losing to Clemson in the title game, but I just don't know how this team didn't win it all that year.

Well, a closer look shows the conference itself wasn't any great shakes that year. Same with 2016. Now granted - it was harder by 2018 to take the bowls as a serious barometer (which was always debatable anyway) of conference strength - but the SEC was 6-4 against the ACC that year. Of course, this comes with caveats, too, since 3 of those 4 wins were Clemson, but the ACC that year was Clemson, Syracuse, and (9-4) NC State. Every other team in that conference had AT LEAST 5 losses and eight teams had AT LEAST SIX losses in a 14-team conference. The SEC had teams with better overall records, but if you look closely, who did those SEC teams play? Florida lost blowouts to the two of the three best teams on their schedule while UK lost to the best team on their schedule plus a rivalry game to a weaker sister (UTk). And 3-loss LSU, well, they were pretty good...but they had Joe Burrow and still got beat by Florida, although it was close until the final two minutes.

I remember the talk about us tipping plays. Did we simply lose focus because we killed everybody we played that year???

Not to pick nits, but we needed a miracle comeback with a backup to beat UGA...for the second time in less than a year. If we had big heads that should have fixed it.

Is 2018 possibly the most loaded team we've ever had that didn't win a title???

I know I've never been more confident in a team to score and dominate a game than I was that year. I guess it is why I am still stunned to this day what happened against Clemson!

I've just chalked it up to, "Hey, it happens." I don't buy the logic that says Clemson is one of the great all-time teams, either, though.

What's funny is that I was the exact opposite. When I ran the numbers, it kicked out a dead even matchup despite what by all appearances was an imbalance between the schedules the two teams faced. And my prediction based on stat totals ALWAYS IS PREDICATED on an AVERAGE (e.g. expected) performance by BOTH teams.

I don't for one second think Clemson was 28 points (or whatever it was) better than Alabama that year, and the two teams could have played a week later and Alabama could have won by 28, too.

But for whatever reason, the "feel" I had before that title game was different than any other in my lifetime. I pretty much figure we're going to win anyway, even if it's close. That was true in 2009-11-12-15-16-20-21. The only one that "really" shocked me was the 2016 loss in that we had a 14-point lead in the fourth. And I still think with a healthy Eddie Jackson for that game OR (not both but OR) Bo Scarborough not going down, we still win it despite a pedestrian Jalen Hurts (at the time).

 

[arthurdawg]

It goes to show how hard it is to win consistently in major college football. Even with Saban we lost a number of games to Auburn that we should have won, and had a dud ender in 2018, and we lost several winnable games to major cross country teams. Okie in 2013, OSU in 2014, and the recent losses to Michigan.

And don't mention the Tennessee loss... Sooo many opps to win and we just played awful.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

that 2016 team defense was on the field for 100 plays or close to that. The 85 Bears wouldn't been able to handle that.

 

[arthurdawg]

Yeah… our lack of any subs killed us in 2016.

Even then our offense coulda put that one away. We couldn’t seal the deal. Frosh Hurts against Senior DeShaun was an epic mismatch we almost overcame.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Nick had a couple teams that I thought should have won a national title but didn't. The potential three-peat team of 2013, in my opinion, had no business NOT WINNING the national title. The 2010 team and I'll agree with the 2018. There should have been three more NC's under Saban right there.

 

[colbysullivan]

The 2018 offense was unstoppable…until we ran into a DC that had our signals. Locksley had his foot out the door and refused to adjust.

 

[rtr90]

I also watched this season recently. Watch the SECCG again. We lost LOS and yet won the game
The only game I have ever seen such a thing.
That was precursor to national championship

 

[Cruloc]

2013....we shouldn't have lost like we did to Auburn. We beat FSU for a 3 peat if we don't.

2016....as much as I love Jalen Hurts, he was young and couldn't convert just a couple of needed 3rd downs. If he gets a couple of them we win that one too. The D was gassed.

2018....no words for that absolute disaster of a performance

 

[colbysullivan]

2013....we shouldn't have lost like we did to Auburn. We beat FSU for a 3 peat if we don't.

2016....as much as I love Jalen Hurts, he was young and couldn't convert just a couple of needed 3rd downs. If he gets a couple of them we win that one too. The D was gassed.

2018....no words for that absolute disaster of a performance

We lost in 2016 the minute Bo went down. He was dominating teams in the 2nd half of that year.

 

[arthurdawg]

We lost in 2016 the minute Bo went down. He was dominating teams in the 2nd half of that year.

Yep... He was our dominant force in that game... Argh!