📡 Besting the Bear? Saban in hot pursuit of Alabama icon (Yahoo Sports)

[TUSKtimes]

Bowdon and Paterno was also part of some miserable teams, not dominant their entire careers. Saban has been pretty dominant everywhere he has been from what I have seen. Left Michigan State as they were turning the corner if we want o use that against him. Sure, a down year or so starting out, but raising the bar and maintaining it is more in my eyes. Bowdon and Paterno gimped around for how many years with truly no influence? Recruiting, sure, and maybe an instruction here or there, but no thumb on the program for years. Currently Saban has more wins for every loss over Bowdon and Paterno. He is still behind Bryant though by like 0.7 wins per loss.

Michigan State is part of the yardstick. And should be recognized as a living part of his HC resume. What's dominate about this?
1995-6-5-1
1996-6-6
1997-7-5
1998-6-6
1999-9-2

Off to LSU:
2000-8-4
2001-10-3
2002-8-5
2003-13-1
2004-9-3

​

Nobody can argue about 2003 being a great year, but is that the definition of dominate at LSU? Now Saban is over halfway into his HC career and he doesn't have one, back to back season of even 10 wins at LSU in an era they were playing 12 game schedules. Bowl record: 3-5. Is that a dominate HC resume, away from Alabama?

 

[BamaFan334]

Michigan State is part of the yardstick. And should be recognized as a living part of his HC resume. What's dominate about this?
1995-6-5-1
1996-6-6
1997-7-5
1998-6-6
1999-9-2

Off to LSU:
2000-8-4
2001-10-3
2002-8-5
2003-13-1
2004-9-3

​

Nobody can argue about 2003 being a great year, but is that the definition of dominate at LSU? Now Saban is over halfway into his HC career and he doesn't have one, back to back season of even 10 wins at LSU in an era they were playing 12 game schedules. Bowl record: 3-5. Is that a dominate HC resume, away from Alabama?

You'll have to show me where Bowdon and Paterno were more dominant. And maybe dominant was the incorrect word. Consistent contender may have been the better choice. I just looked and adding Saban's Alabama run, they don't touch him, and that's considering 15 more years of a sample size on their part. Saban still has a better Win:Loss ratio over these two, plus he has years left to coach. Saban will go down as a better coach than both. Don't be naive to think he wouldn't have built a more consistent contender at LSU had he stayed. I have no doubt most teams in the SEC would take that record and a National Championship sandwiched in it. Alabama would have taken it, and they end up making a play and snagging Saban.

BOWDEN RECORD

SAMFORD W L T Pct
1959 9 1 0 .900
1960 8 1 0 .889
1961 7 2 0 .778
1962 7 2 0 .778
Total (4 years) 31 6 0 .838
WEST VIRGINIA W L T Pct
1970 8 3 0 .727
1971 7 4 0 .636
1972 Peach) 8 4 0 .667
1973 6 5 0 .545
1974 4 7 0 .364
1975 Peach) 9 3 0 .750
Total (6 years) 42 26 0 .618
FLORIDA STATE W L T Pct
1976 5 6 0 .455
1977 (Tangerine) 10 2 0 .833
1978 8 3 0 .727
1979 (Orange) 11 1 0 .917
1980 (Orange) 10 2 0 .833
1981 6 5 0 .545
1982 (Gator) 9 3 0 .750
1983 (Peach) 8 4 0 .667
1984 (Citrus) 7 3 2 .667
1985 (Gator) 9 3 0 .727
1986 (All-American) 7 4 1 .625
1987 (Fiesta) 11 1 0 .917
1988 (Sugar) 11 1 0 .917
1989 (Fiesta) 10 2 0 .833
1990 (Blockbuster) 10 2 0 .833
1991 (Cotton) 11 2 0 .846
1992 (Orange) 11 1 0 .917
1993 (Orange) 12 1 0 .923
1994 (Sugar) 10 1 1 .864
1995 (Orange) 10 2 0 .833
1996 (Sugar) 11 1 0 .923
1997 (Sugar) 11 1 0 .923
1998 (Fiesta) 11 2 0 .846
1999 (Sugar) 12 0 0 1.000
2000 (Orange) 11 2 0 .846
2001 (Gator) 8 4 0 .667
2002 (Sugar) 9 5 0 .643
2003 (Orange) 10 3 0 .769
2004 (Gator) 9 3 0 .750
2005 (Orange) 8 5 0 .615
2006 (Emerald)
2007 (Music City)7 6 0 .538

Joe Paterno
1966 Penn State 5–5
1967 Penn State 8–2–1
1968 Penn State 11–0
1969 Penn State 11–0
1970 Penn State 7–3
1971 Penn State 11–1
1972 Penn State 10–2
1973 Penn State 12–0
1974 Penn State 10–2
1975 Penn State 9–3
1976 Penn State 7–5
1977 Penn State 11–1
1978 Penn State 11–1
1979 Penn State 8–4
1980 Penn State 10–2
1981 Penn State 10–2
1982 Penn State 11–1
1983 Penn State 8–4–1
1984 Penn State 6–5
1985 Penn State 11–1
1986 Penn State 12–0
1987 Penn State 8–4
1988 Penn State 5–6
1989 Penn State 8–3–1
1990 Penn State 9–3
1991 Penn State 11–2
1992 Penn State 7–5
Penn State Nittany Lions (Big Ten Conference) (1993–2011)
1993 Penn State 10–2
1994 Penn State 12–0
1995 Penn State 9–3
1996 Penn State 11–2
1997 Penn State 9–3
1998 Penn State 9–3
1999 Penn State 10–3
2000 Penn State 5–7
2001 Penn State 5–6
2002 Penn State 9–4
2003 Penn State 3–9
2004 Penn State 4–7
2005 Penn State 11–1
2006 Penn State 9–4
2007 Penn State 9–4
2008 Penn State 11–2
2009 Penn State 11–2
2010 Penn State 7–6
2011 Penn State 8–1

 

[TUSKtimes]

You'll have to show me where Bowdon and Paterno were more dominant. I just looked and adding Saban's Alabama run, they don't touch him, and that's considering 15 more years of a sample size on their part.

I'm making the Paul Bear Bryant case. Paterno and Bowden's longevity were also dismissed too quickly, so I brought it up. JoePa's over 400 wins, 21-seasons of double-digit wins, 5-unbeaten teams, 31 wins in a row without a shot at a natty is all part of the apples and oranges that make up such a debate. That's longevity and excellence. How do you have 5 undefeated seasons with only 2 NCs? Easy, they vote you out of the beauty contest. Try doing that to Saban's team today?

The argument is that what coach Saban has done at Alabama in 9 years and two double-digit winning seasons at LSU trumps the best of the best all-time. Not my yardstick.

 

[BamaFan334]

I'm making the Paul Bear Bryant case. Paterno and Bowden's longevity were also dismissed too quickly, so I brought it up. JoePa's over 400 wins, 21-seasons of double-digit wins, 5-unbeaten teams, 31 wins in a row without a shot at a natty is all part of the apples and oranges that make up such a debate. That's longevity and excellence. How do you have 5 undefeated seasons with only 2 NCs? Easy, they vote you out of the beauty contest. Try doing that to Saban's team today?

The argument is that what coach Saban has done at Alabama in 9 years and two double-digit winning seasons at LSU trumps the best of the best all-time. Not my yardstick.

Well you have to go apples and apples. Saban hasn't had 40 years to build that resume. Longevity were obviously not the friends of either at the end, as their legacies took hits due to hanging on too long. Beauty contest, whatever you want to call it, doesn't matter, show me the hardware. Saban will go down as better coaches than both. No one ever looked at either of those two and trembled like they did Bryant and do Saban.

 

[TUSKtimes]

Well you have to go apples and apples. Saban hasn't had 40 years to build that resume. Longevity were obviously not the friends of either at the end, as their legacies took hits due to hanging on too long. Beauty contest, whatever you want to call it, doesn't matter, show me the hardware. Saban will go down as better coaches than both. No one ever looked at either of those two and trembled like they did Bryant and do Saban.

So says the latest and greatest crowd. You can't ever go apples and apples with Saban unless you want to eliminate decades of coaching seasons and on-field accomplishments. Which most want to do, including his previous coaching stops. Coach Bryants got 38 years as HC and 14 SEC championships and 323 wins including 6, maybe 7 NCs, during the beauty contest era. All kinds of hardware can measure HC greatness and I don't think coach Saban's yardstick is long enough, yet.

 

[BamaFan334]

So says the latest and greatest crowd. You can't ever go apples and apples with Saban unless you want to eliminate decades of coaching seasons and on-field accomplishments. Which most want to do, including his previous coaching stops. Coach Bryants got 38 years as HC and 14 SEC championships and 323 wins including 6, maybe 7 NCs, during the beauty contest era. All kinds of hardware can measure HC greatness and I don't think coach Saban's yardstick is long enough, yet.

Well compared to Bryant, no, so I agree with you there. I feel a lot of Bowdon's teams underachieved with the type of talent they used to pull, add in a very weak ACC, and he should have won five more trophies. I've never liked Paterno and never saw him or a team of his as a threat.

 

[TUSKtimes]

Well compared to Bryant, no, so I agree with you there. I feel a lot of Bowdon's teams underachieved with the type of talent they used to pull, add in a very weak ACC, and he should have won five more trophies. I've never liked Paterno and never saw him or a team of his as a threat.

My Uncles use to pick me up as a little kid in B'ham on their way through to the 75 and 79 sugar bowls with Penn St. I even made a few games on the road when we had the 10-year schedule with them. It was war and I grew to dislike that football program immensely during coach Bryant's reign and beyond. And we did score that TD in the great Walter Lewis comeback in Beaver stadium in 1983. :eyeroll:

When is a TD not a TD?

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

DominATE = verb.

DominANT = adjective.

That is all.

 

[Destiny's Child]

Saban will break the 200 win mark next year.. so he isn't too far away

 

[wiregrass_bamaguy]

While it may be the easy way out, why don't we just agree that Alabama has had two of the best head coaches to ever grace the game?