Good: Tennessee’s incompletions and miscues that kept us in the game.
Bad: The refs. But to be fair, it’s like this in multiple games every week. I don’t recall a season having this many inconsistent rulings and bad [no]calls across the country.
Ugly: Bama. I expected a down year after the GOAT, but I never doubted playoff eligibility. I was even optimistic of having the type of season where we lose early but gradually improve as everyone settled in with the new regime. I definitely bought the sunshine pumped here by some about the new energy around the complex and Milroe’s Heisman-caliber season with the new offensive staff.
As unhappy as I am with the product on the field, some of which I definitely blame on the staff, there’s also much I can’t blame on the staff at all. And this is even more frustrating, in a sense. It’s relieving to think that the answer can be found in simply firing and rehiring. And I’m not implying that every coach should be given another season to prove themselves either. But there’s just so many variables in our program as well as in college football in general all coalescing simultaneously this season that are out of our control.
I think there are many good points made by many different posts in this thread. But let me add something not already mentioned: regional differences in culture and demographics matter. To try to be as succinct as I can, I don’t think Saban would have been as successful west of the SEC footprint. Same with Smart. Likewise, I don’t think Pete Carroll would have been as successful east of the Mississippi, except maybe at another urban center like Miami. I don’t think Harbough would have thrived anywhere except his alma mater or a place like Stanford that had low expectations. I see Urban Meyer also requiring a particular milieu to succeed found more commonly in the central and eastern time zones. His success at Utah I think was due to the conservative nature of that state which accommodates authoritative, even authoritarian, leadership. From the day of DeBoer’s hire, I swear every time I have listened to him speak and observed his dimeanor I see a fish out of water. I don’t see or hear confidence or self assurance. Now this doesn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t the best option available to replace Saban. And this also doesn’t mean he can’t grow into a coach worthy of Bama. But I’m just saying, there is nothing about his conduct or our team’s conduct that tells me he’s confident and in charge. It would be different if we were losing games without chronic penalties and unsportsmanlike behavior. I realize we are thin at several positions and can imagine how that’s affecting the outcomes. But leading a disciplined group of players, most of whom come from the rural South, will not be like leading a group of kids from the Midwest and the West Coast. And success at the NAIA level with the kind of kids choosing to play football with little recognition should never lead us to believe he will succeed in the SEC with Prima Donnas seeking glitter and fame after every tackle or completion. All the positive remarks made by current players since his hire should have been a red flag considering the torture that Saban imposed on the team during the first few 4th Quarter programs. Success should be less fun in the moment and more fun afterwards as you relish the accomplishment. All I hear now from players is the opposite, enjoying the moment and “celebrating every win like it’s the last.”
