Question: Who was the best team that ever defeated Alabama in the regular or post-season?

[selmaborntidefan]

Well it’s like saying “2020 Alabama has no claim to a top 10 list because they were in a shootout vs an average Ole Miss team”. I think the comparison between 95 Nebraska and 18 Clemson is accurate. Both teams are hyped to oblivion because of one game and everyone forgets their schedule and the fact that they were the underdogs going in. Ironically the 96 Florida team may have been the best team in the 90’s that no one ever gives them credit for and 19 LSU is probably the best team in 2010’s that few want to doubt too.

If we are going greatest teams of all time I don’t think 18 Clemson or 95 Nebraska really make it. 19 LSU, 20 Alabama, 01 Miami, and 08 Florida probably are. Each of them had either losses or multiple close games in very difficult schedules.

I think what's rough is that in the long run, 2020 Alabama is going to be overlooked in historic assessments because of the pandemic. And that's not really fair to the school, the fans, and especially not the players who focused and accomplished. Never mind that we played a good Ohio State team that had only played 1/2 of a season by comparison - and blew them off the field.

I've said it before, but ALMOST ALWAYS the way a team gets mentioned in the all-time discussion for CFB is:
- goes undefeated (usually against a pedestrian schedule at best with only 1-2 games they can lose)
- is not (usually) touted as such during the season
- blows out the opponent in the final game of the season
- has a Heisman moment type play that even the casual fan can recall years later

1971 Nebraska - they played ONE good team on the road that year (Oklahoma) in what was called the game of the century, Johnny Rodgers had the play, and the blew out unbeaten Alabama.

1979 Alabama - played ONE sorta decent team on the road and only 2 all year and while it wasn't a thundering blowout, Arkansas was never going to win that Sugar Bowl

1995 Nebraska - their entire resume was "beat some 10-win Big 8 teams and blew out Florida in a game where we had so unimpressed everyone, we were the underdog."

2001 Miami - it's amusing they even get mentioned given they nearly lost to both Boston College and Va Tech; but they blew out Nebraska, so there! Remember, Miami wasn't even ranked #1 in the BCS until Nebraska got mauled by Colorado.

2018 Clemson - played one team with a pulse and blew out the favorite in the finale.


2019 LSU doesn't fit that mold nor does 2020 Alabama.

 

[colbysullivan]

In November no one is 100%. But here is the kicker… why are you using “Tua was injured” vs LSU but not vs Clemson? Because he clearly was still struggling with that injury he suffered vs Georgia. Also 2 of our best defensive players were out vs Clemson.

We lost to LSU because of mistakes. Take away one and we maybe win. The fake punt by far was the worst one.

We lost to Clemson because it was just their day. We came unprepared and entitled and they came prepared and hungry. It happens. We play them again it may or may not be a different result. Clemson 2018 is a great team but no one before that game ever saw them as one of the greatest teams of all time. However many saw that Alabama team as potentially one of the greatest.

Because it wouldn’t have mattered if Tua was healthy against Clemson or not. They kill is either way because Locksley was a moron. We should have beaten LSU.

 

[saturdaysarebet]

One aspect of answering this question is to ask another obvious one: "which of these teams would win a game if they played each other?" For example, would 1971 Nebraska beat 2019 LSU in a head-to-head game?

Of course they wouldn't; it wouldn't even be close. Tom Osborne - who was the offensive coordinator of the 1971 Nebraska team - said prior to the 1984 Orange Bowl that his 1983 team would blow that one off the field offensively, it wouldn't even be close, if anyone should know, it's the guy involved with both teams.

Would 2019 LSU beat 2018 Clemson?
Well, they manhandled 2019 Clemson, didn't they?

Granted, Clemson lost 3 defensive linemen to the first round of the NFL draft. But in light of the fact that 2018 Clemson gave up 12.9 ppg and 2019 Clemson gave up 11.5 ppg (pre-championship game stats) and lost a linebacker and a corner in the first round, I'm not sure how the argument holds that 2018 Clemson's D was better than 2019, at least not that much better. The 2019 Clemson defense gave up fewer points per game (until you add the blowout loss in the final), and the stats were so close it wasn't funny.

DEFENSIVE STATS PER GAME (includes title game)
2018 Total Defense Yards: 291.5
2019 Total Yards: 288.5
2018 Pass Yards: 189.6
2019 Pass Yards: 172.3
2018 Rush Yards: 101.9
2019 Rush Yards: 116.3

18 Clemson's D was better against the run but not as good against the pass, although this includes Burrow throwing for 463 yards against them and Tua "only" 295. In other words, the 19 Clemson pass defense was better INCLUDING the Burrow game than was 2018. So I'm not sure how to make the argument 2019 LSU would not have blown 2018 Clemson off the field with the same ease. Neither year did Clemson have an even remotely challenging schedule (one ranked ACC opponent each year plus the Aggies, who were better in 18 than in 19 and the game was at Kyle Field).

And bear in mind, I haven't even touched on the offense yet.

Trevor Lawrence:
2018 - 259 for 397 (65.2%), 3280, 30 TD, 4 INT
2019 - 268 for 407 (65.8%), 3665, 36 TD, 8 INT

Of course, the immediate objection says, "But Trevor wasn't the starter early in 2018, and he went out of the Syracuse game with a concussion." True. But in light of the fact he only had TEN MORE ATTEMPTS and completed NINE of them and six were TDs, that kind of pushes that objection aside. And he had more yards per attempt, yards per completion, and yards per game, so I don't know how that can be turned into "but he got hurt in one of the games and wasn't the starter" since the adjusted stats still show he was better. The Clemson offense in 2019 had 0.9 ypg more in total offense, an insignificant difference that might be chalked up to one easier game.


This is why I'm not sold on 2018 Clemson as even being worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the others. They, to me, are like the hyperbole that surrounds 1995 Nebraska, who wasn't even favored to win their title game but they moment they blew out the opponent became the "greatest team of all-time."

The FACT is that 2019 LSU blew 2019 Clemson off the field, and an argument can be made that the 19 Clemson team was better than the 18 Clemson team. Just because one won the title and the other didn't doesn't mean the championship team was actually better.

AI Overview

In the 1996 Fiesta Bowl, which was played on January 2, 1996, to determine the 1995 national champion, Nebraska was favored by about 3 points. The game was a matchup between the #1 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers and the #2 Florida Gators. Despite being favored, some experts predicted Florida would win due to Nebraska's option offense potentially struggling on the grass field and Florida's strong passing attack.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

• The Matchup:
  The game pitted Nebraska, with its powerful rushing attack, against Florida, known for its passing game.
  
  
• The Point Spread:
  Oddsmakers initially set the point spread with Nebraska as a 3-point favorite.

Google Search

 

[saturdaysarebet]

I think what's rough is that in the long run, 2020 Alabama is going to be overlooked in historic assessments because of the pandemic. And that's not really fair to the school, the fans, and especially not the players who focused and accomplished. Never mind that we played a good Ohio State team that had only played 1/2 of a season by comparison - and blew them off the field.

I've said it before, but ALMOST ALWAYS the way a team gets mentioned in the all-time discussion for CFB is:
- goes undefeated (usually against a pedestrian schedule at best with only 1-2 games they can lose)
- is not (usually) touted as such during the season
- blows out the opponent in the final game of the season
- has a Heisman moment type play that even the casual fan can recall years later

1971 Nebraska - they played ONE good team on the road that year (Oklahoma) in what was called the game of the century, Johnny Rodgers had the play, and the blew out unbeaten Alabama.

1979 Alabama - played ONE sorta decent team on the road and only 2 all year and while it wasn't a thundering blowout, Arkansas was never going to win that Sugar Bowl

1995 Nebraska - their entire resume was "beat some 10-win Big 8 teams and blew out Florida in a game where we had so unimpressed everyone, we were the underdog."

2001 Miami - it's amusing they even get mentioned given they nearly lost to both Boston College and Va Tech; but they blew out Nebraska, so there! Remember, Miami wasn't even ranked #1 in the BCS until Nebraska got mauled by Colorado.

2018 Clemson - played one team with a pulse and blew out the favorite in the finale.


2019 LSU doesn't fit that mold nor does 2020 Alabama.

Selma, '95 Nebraska was a three-point favorite over Florida.

Google Search

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Selma, '95 Nebraska was a three-point favorite over Florida.

Google Search

So?

In the future, maybe you should just ask AI your questions.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

AI Overview

In the 1996 Fiesta Bowl, which was played on January 2, 1996, to determine the 1995 national champion, Nebraska was favored by about 3 points. The game was a matchup between the #1 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers and the #2 Florida Gators. Despite being favored, some experts predicted Florida would win due to Nebraska's option offense potentially struggling on the grass field and Florida's strong passing attack.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

• The Matchup:
  The game pitted Nebraska, with its powerful rushing attack, against Florida, known for its passing game.
  
  
• The Point Spread:
  Oddsmakers initially set the point spread with Nebraska as a 3-point favorite.

Google Search

I stand corrected - although there is zero doubt in my mind that I've seen a newspaper listing Florida as a favorite AT THE TIME. It struck me because it surprised me.

But then again, it doesn't really affect my argument one way or the other. Nebraska went from "well, they didn't play that tough a schedule" to "this was the greatest team ever" based on one game.