Florida Gators

[AlabamAlum]

Would you have felt better if I'd said "UT is going on 2 decades of being decent ...

That is acceptable.

[hedge]

And again, my entire point was the comparison b/w UT and UF in that time, which I don't think anyone would argue that UT has been anything close to UF overall...

[AlabamAlum]

However, the most accurate line of demarcation is 2008. The trend line takes a huge downward slant starting with that year. People forget that Tennessee won the SEC East 3 years from 2000-2007, and all but one of those years ended with a bowl trip. While most years that bowl was the Peach or the Cotton or whatever, they still weren't usually a bad team.

[AlabamAlum]

And again, my entire point was the comparison b/w UT and UF in that time, which I don't think anyone would argue that UT has been anything close to UT overall...

UT is exactly equivalent to UT.

[aTm]

Fuck you for mentioning Tennessee and Cotton Bowl in a post, asshole. 59-0 wasn't enough?

[AlabamAlum]

FRAN!

[hedge]

"While most years that bowl was the Peach or the Cotton or whatever, they still weren't usually a bad team."

That's why I used the term "mediocre". I factored in their decent, and, in a few cases, above average years with their well below average years of recent vintage and came up with "mediocre". Yes, I was trying to be insulting to UT and yes, I was trying to extend the length of time that that insult covered. I was hoping some chapped UT fan would come in and argue with me. I had no idea it would be a Bama fan coming to their defense...

[AlabamAlum]

I don't always get to select my targets to argue with. Sometimes, I just have to dance with the one who shows up.

The argument was fresh on my mind because I had the same argument on Tennessee's relative strength from 1995-2007 with LSU fans on another board who believe that it is a Slive plot to keep LSU down because they play the Gators cross-division and Alabama plays Tennessee. Many LSU fans have selective memory when it comes to Tennessee's play over the last 20 years or so.

[hedge]

Indeed. And, in truth, those years of UT ascendancy were not the most glorious years for Bama by any means. In fact, they more closely resembled UT's teams of recent vintage. Do you think there's some sort of inverse relationship b/w Alabama's and UT's fortunes? More interesting to me, do you think it was the fact that Bama suffered more than a few seasons of ineffective toiling similar to UT of recent years that has engendered some faint whiff of sympathy for them in your heart? It that why thou eschews to sasseth?

[AlabamAlum]

No relationship between Tennessee's troubles and Alabama's success. Alabama is a traditional powerhouse team with a huge wallet, great facilities and a national following. Any decent coach would do fairly well here. But when you have Nick Saban and the aforementioned advantages, it's almost unfair.

No, on the latter question as well. It's not sympathy, per se, but I've never been a "your team is bad" sasser. And you'll almost never see me rub salt in a wound after Alabama beats a rival, either. It's just not something I draw pleasure from.

[hedge]

"Any decent coach would do fairly well here."

Mike Price?

[AlabamAlum]

We'll never know, but I believe he would have won. He is easily better than Shula or Dubose and probably equivalent to Fran.

[AlabamAlum]

Anyway, win and lose with humility. Don't blame the refs or the weather, and remember to congratulate the fans of the other team when you lose because beating Alabama is usually a mighty accomplishment that should be recognized.

Class dismissed. Tee time.

[hedge]

Man, looking back at Bear Bryant's records at Bama, they rarely lost (obviously), but even more telling, when they did lose, it was almost always by less than a TD and in many cases by 1 or 2 points. Notre Dame was a particular thorn in his side in the 70's. That irks me, b/c I hate ND...

[Professor Tiger]

As an aside, there will be several coaching vacancies soon at top 20 programs. Every time that happens, I notice that Mark Richt's name is never mentioned on any list of desired candidates.

[Professor Tiger]

Alabama is a traditional powerhouse team with a huge wallet, great facilities and a national following. Any decent coach would do fairly well here.

Shula, Curry, Fran, Dubose and Price might disagree. I think Bama is the toughest coaching job in America. That's why Saban's accomplishments are so extraordinary.

[AlabamAlum]

I said class dismissed. Anyway....

Alabama is a traditional powerhouse team with a huge wallet, great facilities and a national following. Any decent coach would do fairly well here.

Shula, Curry, Fran, Dubose and Price might disagree. I think Bama is the toughest coaching job in America. That's why Saban's accomplishments are so extraordinary.

Did you see the adjective I placed before coaches? It was the word 'decent' which makes your reply a bit nonsensical.


*Fran took a horrible group of malcontents after Dubose was fired and while the NCAA was giving us a prostate exam and went 7-5 his first year and 10-3 the year after.

*Curry went 7-5 his first year, 9-3 his second, and 10-2 his third.

And both Curry and Fran strain to be included in my conversation of "decent coaches" - Shula and Dubose have no business being included in your list.

[Professor Tiger]

By Bama standards, "decent" = a NC every 1-4 years, and annual victories in the TSIO, Iron Bowl, and SECCG. Anything less is not "decent." The coach is notified of his indecency via a brick thrown though his office window, like Curry did.

[AlabamAlum]

No. Shula was 26-23 and Dubose was 24-23. That's not a decent by any serious team's standards. That's why Shula has yet to be a HC anywhere and Dubose has led Millsaps and Luverne HS since being fired.

[AlabamAlum]

And, prof, are you seriously attempting to argue that Shula and Dubose are decent major college head coaches? Really? How have you devolved to this point? Drugs? Alcohol?