Nick Saban has done a lot of things in Tuscaloosa, but one thing he hasn't done is win every game. And the latest game he didn't win is the important one that tells us Alabama will continue to not win every game.
Recently, his team lost to LSU Texas A&M Oklahoma Ohio State Ole Miss. Sure, if not for a couple plays, things would've gone differently. But the fact is that Alabama did not win the football game, and this fact has meaning.
The Tide turned the ball over five times, which tells us things. Nevermind that Ole Miss has good defensive backs. Nevermind that it's September. Nevermind that we're talking about a kick returner dropping a couple balls, thus helping Ole Miss to 10 easy points in a game it won by six. These turnovers tell us Alabama is not going to win many championships this year. The fact that 2011 national champion Alabama did the same against mighty Kent State just shows Kent State is always very good.
Also, that Ole Miss turnover ratio includes this pleading near-interception turning into an Ole Miss touchdown, in a game Ole Miss won by six points ...
Via ESPN
... which goes to show, uh, listen, Saban is kind of old. He hasn't won a national championship in multiple years and has only made one College Football Playoff in his entire career. He also lost several NFL games at one point. OK?
Alabama has not signed a No. 1 recruiting class in seven months, and all signs suggest it'll be at least a few more before the next one. OK?
Alabama's quarterbacks aren't the best. Can you imagine the Crimson Tide winning a championship with quarterbacks who aren't the best? Bear Bryant's legacy of Heisman quarterbacks shouldn't be stained with this. Saban's previous championship quarterbacks are all lighting up NFL Sundays, and what is happening in Tuscaloosa is embarrassing to them. Alabama has always had the best quarterback until right now.
I have another point to write for you. The things Saban complained about this past offseason were different from the things he's complained about in many previous offseasons. If you listen closely, you can detect the difference. That difference will tell you that Alabama will lose another game in the future. And another.
After this game Alabama didn't win, Tide players seemed disappointed and/or surprised. That is concerning. For some reason.
My colleague Bill Connelly wrote this about how the talented and experienced Rebels completely demolished the first two teams they played and still needed a ton of friendly bounces to beat Alabama:
If it takes that many bad breaks for a really good team to beat you, you aren't going to lose much. Every time Bama loses, we race to proclaim it the Beginning Of The End for Nick Saban's dynasty. And then Alabama goes months without losing again.
What Bill fails to account for is the fact that Alabama lost a game and will eventually lose an additional game. I will write a column about it as soon as it happens.