🏈 GAME THREAD 🏈 The 2026 Bowl Games / CFB Playoffs:

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[mando]

it seems like the program is churning right along: it's where we should expect it to be going into year three.

I do not think we are where we should be personally. I do think are you and I are finally aligned that it takes time and we were not just going to pick up and win NC in year one post Saban. You know I have always said one year does not measure success. See what happens in a sustained way. Folks believe there was going to be zero drop off day one, just silly thinking.

Back to where things stand going into year three... My biggest concern is culture and core play that sustains elite play on the field... I recall when it dawned on my how well coach Sabans teams were and it was on a screen play where the OL had released the DL and every DL stopped and rotated to the screen at the same time. I knew then they were well prepared to recoginize immediately what was happening. Other things I look for is how physical the team is on the line of scrimmage which you can normally tell by how well we stop the run and how well we run the ball.

On the culture concern, that is about their competitive character and the pride they take in how they play which motiviates how hard you prepare and play. This will turn into wins but you can have wins w/o it but it will not sustain elite level play consistently (within a season or across multiple seasons).

 

[mando]

Oneteam that was last place in cfp. In nc game.

Time will tell but I think that will be an exception.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

I do not think we are where we should be personally. I do think are you and I are finally aligned that it takes time and we were not just going to pick up and win NC in year one post Saban. You know I have always said one year does not measure success. See what happens in a sustained way. Folks believe there was going to be zero drop off day one, just silly thinking.

Back to where things stand going into year three... My biggest concern is culture and core play that sustains elite play on the field... I recall when it dawned on my how well coach Sabans teams were and it was on a screen play where the OL had released the DL and every DL stopped and rotated to the screen at the same time. I knew then they were well prepared to recoginize immediately what was happening. Other things I look for is how physical the team is on the line of scrimmage which you can normally tell by how well we stop the run and how well we run the ball.

On the culture concern, that is about their competitive character and the pride they take in how they play which motiviates how hard you prepare and play. This will turn into wins but you can have wins w/o it but it will not sustain elite level play consistently (within a season or across multiple seasons).

Well. I concur. The culture thing. Man o man.
How do build a culture with ur players coming n going every year.
As a coach. You cant count on anything. The focus is on money.
Probably see a group of different highly sponsored teams every year