Saban lost this championship in September

[msstate7]

By going with hurts over Barnett.

With elite talent all around hurts, here's his passing stats vs the top 30 pass defenses he faced (lsu, Florida, Washington, and Clemson)...

41/84 (49%) 433 yards (5.15 yds/att) 2 td 1 int

Bama has lost 2 games since Saban got to bama in championship/playoff games. Both ('14 and '16) were when he went with a dual threat over pure passing qb's. Imo bama doesn't need qb's getting rushing yards... they have Rb's for that. Bama needs qb's that can complete the 3rd and 5s and PA hit you deep once the running game gets going. Saban fixed what wasn't broke in his offense...

[basedog]

I disagree, Bama went into the game undefeated, yes Hurts had a bad game but he did help put 31 points on the board.

Clemson was just better last night, I think you over analyzed that fact.

[dawgday166]

I agreed with you all night last night ... that don't happen too often LOL. I kinda see what you're saying here but don't know for sure. I tend to think it might've been worse with Barnett. He ain't a threat to run. Hurts wasn't facing a minor league D here.

[civildawg]

You wouldnt be saying this if the Bama defense could have held clemson on that last drive. Dude went 14-1. I think he made the right decision

[smootness]

Yep, totally agree. Said it at the time. No reason to use a true freshman with questionable passing skills to QB that team. All you needed was somebody who can minimize mistakes and complete the easy throws.

It almost killed them against LSU and finally did last night. Yes, they scored 31. But the bottom line is, with a competent QB, they still win that game.

[Dawg61]

By going with hurts over Barnett.

With elite talent all around hurts, here's his passing stats vs the top 30 pass defenses he faced (lsu, Florida, Washington, and Clemson)...

41/84 (49%) 433 yards (5.15 yds/att) 2 td 1 int

Bama has lost 2 games since Saban got to bama in championship/playoff games. Both ('14 and '16) were when he went with a dual threat over pure passing qb's. Imo bama doesn't need qb's getting rushing yards... they have Rb's for that. Bama needs qb's that can complete the 3rd and 5s and PA hit you deep once the running game gets going. Saban fixed what wasn't broke in his offense...

You're right Bama's inability to hit the play-action bomb pass for a td they have been relying on since John Parker Wilson days was non-existent last night. They ALWAYS through a hailmary style playaction right down the middle of the field that always gives them 1-2 extra touchdowns a game. Didn't even try it with Hurts last night. Their running game got gutted when Scarbrough got hurt too.

[mparkerfd20]

Hurts is not a good QB. Serviceable, yes. Good, no. He'll get better though.

[BB30]

The fact that Hurts was the SEC POY is unbelievable. You put him on any other SEC team and I don't think he would even be considered average at this point. He has some upside but was nowhere near the best QB in the SEC this year. Obviously, being a true freshman he had a heck of a year but, I don't think he has near the success anywhere else. Fitz is a night and day better QB ( I know he has a couple of years on him) but you would think as much talent as bama brings in they would not find themselves in terrible QB situations year after year. The kid can run and throw a bubble screen and that is about it.

[MetEdDawg]

The fact that Hurts was the SEC POY is unbelievable. You put him on any other SEC team and I don't think he would even be considered average at this point. He has some upside but was nowhere near the best QB in the SEC this year. Obviously, being a true freshman he had a heck of a year but, I don't think he has near the success anywhere else. Fitz is a night and day better QB ( I know he has a couple of years on him) but you would think as much talent as bama brings in they would not find themselves in terrible QB situations year after year. The kid can run and throw a bubble screen and that is about it.

This. Fitz is definitely better and has a better arm. Hurts in our offense goes 6-7 this year and wouldn't add any value in areas that Fitz lacks. But the fact he won SEC POTY is ridiculous. No business winning that award.

[smootness]

The fact that Hurts was the SEC POY is unbelievable. You put him on any other SEC team and I don't think he would even be considered average at this point. He has some upside but was nowhere near the best QB in the SEC this year. Obviously, being a true freshman he had a heck of a year but, I don't think he has near the success anywhere else. Fitz is a night and day better QB ( I know he has a couple of years on him) but you would think as much talent as bama brings in they would not find themselves in terrible QB situations year after year. The kid can run and throw a bubble screen and that is about it.

No doubt. There are probably 20 better players on Alabama.

[tireddawg]

I made the statement on here that Hurts being a Freshman would give Clemson a chance to win. I stand by that statement*

I don't know if Barnett would have been the answer, but a true pro-style qb that can make all the throws would have made Bama unstoppable.

[bulldawg28]

Disagree with OP. Bama has/have no consistent run game without Hurts. Unfortunately for them he's a Freshman that hasn't fully developed as a passer. Heck, neither has Fitz and he's been in college 3 years. Firing Kiffin cost them the game. He knew how to make this offense go. However, 31 points should have been enough to win. The defense cost them last night.

[HSVDawg]

Any game in which Alabama scores 31 points they should win handily. The game was lost last night because their vaunted defense that was considered one of the all time great college football defenses didn't show up. Clemson put up 35 in a game where they lost the turnover battle 2-0. That is a choke job by what was supposed to be an elite unit.

[Dawg61]

I made the statement on here that Hurts being a Freshman would give Clemson a chance to win. I stand by that statement*

I don't know if Barnett would have been the answer, but a true pro-style qb that can make all the throws would have made Bama unstoppable.

Bama just wasn't explosive on offense this year no matter whose playing QB. Where's the D. Henry's, Julio Jones, Ingram's, Yeldon's, Richardson's etc.. they always had explosive playmakers. This year not so much. It happens. This loss will only make them better next year. Not good when nobody in the SEC could beat them already.

[fishwater99]

You think it was Kiffin or Saban that made that call.

[msstate7]

Any game in which Alabama scores 31 points they should win handily. The game was lost last night because their vaunted defense that was considered one of the all time great college football defenses didn't show up. Clemson put up 35 in a game where they lost the turnover battle 2-0. That is a choke job by what was supposed to be an elite unit.

Bama was 2-15 on 3rd downs. Bama's defense was on the field almost the whole 2nd half.

[HSVDawg]

Bama was 2-15 on 3rd downs. Bama's defense was on the field almost the whole 2nd half.

They were on the field that long partially because they couldn't get stops as well. You score 30+, you should win. If you don't, it's on your defense that you didn't. Especially if you have 6 or 7 first round draft picks on the field.

[smootness]

Disagree with OP. Bama has/have no consistent run game without Hurts. Unfortunately for them he's a Freshman that hasn't fully developed as a passer. Heck, neither has Fitz and he's been in college 3 years. Firing Kiffin cost them the game. He knew how to make this offense go. However, 31 points should have been enough to win. The defense cost them last night.

They scored less on a defense no better than Clemson's the week before. Firing Kiffin didn't cost them anything.

[smootness]

Bama just wasn't explosive on offense this year no matter whose playing QB. Where's the D. Henry's, Julio Jones, Ingram's, Yeldon's, Richardson's etc.. they always had explosive playmakers. This year not so much.

Disagree. Scarbrough/Harris with Ridley, Stewart, and Howard...there were explosive playmakers all over the field. The reason they didn't show up as consistently is because of the QB. He couldn't get the ball to the WRs consistently, and the lack of a passing threat made running more difficult. But Scarbrough was every bit of Henry down the stretch anyway.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

They scored less on a defense no better than Clemson's the week before. Firing Kiffin didn't cost them anything.

I disagree. The 1 thing that Kiffen did that Saban/Sark didn't do last night was keep other teams off balance. Hate it or love it Kiffen would call any play at any time & the defense couldn't hone in on 1 part of the offense. After Bama went up 14-0 last night Saban went into the prevent offense. He got ultra conservative & put a leash on Hurts. He didn't allow him to throw down field & it was basically hand the ball off & punt. That's not how they had played all year. You can't do something 1 way & then get to the championship & put the clamps on the kid.

[smootness]

I disagree. The 1 thing that Kiffen did that Saban/Sark didn't do last night was keep other teams off balance. Hate it or love it Kiffen would call any play at any time & the defense couldn't hone in on 1 part of the offense. After Bama went up 14-0 last night Saban went into the prevent offense. He got ultra conservative & put a leash on Hurts. He didn't allow him to throw down field & it was basically hand the ball off & punt. That's not how they had played all year. You can't do something 1 way & then get to the championship & put the clamps on the kid.

He was having no success through the air. 31 passes for 131 yards...that is awful.

Kiffin refused to just stick with what was working against Washington, and the point stands...they scored more against a better defense than they had the week prior. You can argue perhaps that a focused Kiffin is better than a green Sarkisian. But there's a reason Saban fired Kiffin.

They put up more points on Clemson than they did on Washington, more than they put up on Auburn, way more than they put up on LSU, and almost as much as they put up on A&M. Their playcalling was fine, they just didn't get as much as they needed out of Hurts to win.

[bulldawg28]

They scored less on a defense no better than Clemson's the week before. Firing Kiffin didn't cost them anything.

Keep believing what you want. Kiffin lost no games with that talent on O. When Bo down it was Hurts running that kept them in the game. Heck, Hurts was panicking the 1st sign of pressure. Kiffin would have settled him down and taken more shots down the field. Clemson led the nation in pass interference calls against them. Bama played into their hands with roll outs, lateral passes, and short routes.

[bulldawg28]

He was having no success through the air. 31 passes for 131 yards...that is awful.

Kiffin refused to just stick with what was working against Washington, and the point stands...they scored more against a better defense than they had the week prior. You can argue perhaps that a focused Kiffin is better than a green Sarkisian. But there's a reason Saban fired Kiffin.

The reason he fired Kiffin is called E.G.O. It cost him.

[smootness]

Keep believing what you want. Kiffin lost no games with that talent on O. When Bo down it was Hurts running that kept them in the game. Heck, Hurts was panicking the 1st sign of pressure. Kiffin would have settled him down and taken more shots down the field. Clemson led the nation in pass interference calls against them. Bama played into their hands with roll outs, lateral passes, and short routes.

I'm not believing anything. It is a fact that they scored more on Clemson than they had the week prior against Washington. Hurts' numbers were no better, and actually worse, against Washington than against Clemson.

[smootness]

The reason he fired Kiffin is called E.G.O. It cost him.

Yes...but Saban obviously believed Kiffin was no longer focused on the task at hand, and the Washington game solidified that for him. Saban's not an idiot, he didn't make that move to prove a point. He did it because he believed it gave them a better chance to win.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

He was having no success through the air. 31 passes for 131 yards...that is awful.

Kiffin refused to just stick with what was working against Washington, and the point stands...they scored more against a better defense than they had the week prior. You can argue perhaps that a focused Kiffin is better than a green Sarkisian. But there's a reason Saban fired Kiffin.

They put up more points on Clemson than they did on Washington, more than they put up on Auburn, way more than they put up on LSU, and almost as much as they put up on A&M. Their playcalling was fine, they just didn't get as much as they needed out of Hurts to win.

Part of the reason for 31 passes for 131yds was the play calling. He didn't let him throw the ball more than 10yds more than a handful of times. The Clemson defense was able to crowd the LOS because they weren't challenged down field. That's why the 1x they did in the 2nd half (OJ Howard TD) it was so effective.

[HSVDawg]

Keep believing what you want. Kiffin lost no games with that talent on O. When Bo down it was Hurts running that kept them in the game. Heck, Hurts was panicking the 1st sign of pressure. Kiffin would have settled him down and taken more shots down the field. Clemson led the nation in pass interference calls against them. Bama played into their hands with roll outs, lateral passes, and short routes.

Again, blaming anything on Bama's offense last night is laughable. They put up 31 points and didn't turn the ball over. When you have the best D in the country backing you up, that should be plenty to win. Especially against a good D like Clemson. Hurts wasn't Peyton Manning, but he was good enough. Bama's secondary lost that game. It was a weakness all year (relatively speaking), but no one else besides Clemson and Ole Miss were able to exploit it. Zero blame for their loss can be laid on Hurts, Kiffin, or Sark.

[GTHOM]

By going with hurts over Barnett.

With elite talent all around hurts, here's his passing stats vs the top 30 pass defenses he faced (lsu, Florida, Washington, and Clemson)...

41/84 (49%) 433 yards (5.15 yds/att) 2 td 1 int

Bama has lost 2 games since Saban got to bama in championship/playoff games. Both ('14 and '16) were when he went with a dual threat over pure passing qb's. Imo bama doesn't need qb's getting rushing yards... they have Rb's for that. Bama needs qb's that can complete the 3rd and 5s and PA hit you deep once the running game gets going. Saban fixed what wasn't broke in his offense...

Hurts was over hyped and I believe that Fitz is way better but Bama lost that game on the last play not in September. Barnett sucked

[dawgs]

Do we know if Barnett is any good? Hurts may have just been the better QB. Maybe Barnett is a slightly better passer, it not significantly enough to overcome hurts' extra rushing factor.

[HSVDawg]

Do we know if Barnett is any good? Hurts may have just been the better QB. Maybe Barnett is a slightly better passer, it not significantly enough to overcome hurts' extra rushing factor.

I think Saban knew he couldn't hang on to both of them, but wanted to at least through the season. He slow played Barnett and named him the starter against USC to throw him a bone. All the while, he knew Hurts was gonna be the man. The decision he made wasn't even about this year as it was for the next 2 or 3 years. People forget Hurts is a true freshmen. He is only going to get better as a passer all the while remaining dangerous as a runner. Great piece to build around for the next 2 or 3 years for Bama.

[msstate7]

Do we know if Barnett is any good? Hurts may have just been the better QB. Maybe Barnett is a slightly better passer, it not significantly enough to overcome hurts' extra rushing factor.

During the offseason, the word I read about the bama qb competition is that Barnett was the superior qb, but hurts was more dangerous bc of his running. Really only saw Barnett when he started vs USC in the opener...

Barnett vs USC --
5/6 (83.3%) 100 yards 16.7/att 1 td 0 int

Hurts vs USC --
6/11 (54.5%) 118 yards 10.7/att 2 td 1 int

So obviously my theory has flaws bc I'm going on hearsay and SSSs

[tcdog70]

what Bama lacked was their defense or special teams scoring. That is usually what puts them over the top. Two fumble recovery's that could have been TDs. Also no punt returns for TDs. There were some batted balls that most of the time falls right into Bama's hands, not last night.

Plus, i told my wife before the last play that Bama should just tackle all the receivers, then Dabo would have to decide to tie it or go for the win.

[TimberBeast]

Bama lost because of two things:

1) Bo went down. That completely changed their offense for the worse.

2. Clemson scored two touchdowns off illegal pick plays that weren't called.

[smootness]

Part of the reason for 31 passes for 131yds was the play calling. He didn't let him throw the ball more than 10yds more than a handful of times. The Clemson defense was able to crowd the LOS because they weren't challenged down field. That's why the 1x they did in the 2nd half (OJ Howard TD) it was so effective.

But the few times they did take shots down field, the passes were completely overthrown. And when you're only throwing the ball 5-10 yards and you complete 13 out of 31, what would give a coach confidence you can do more?

[Bama_Dawg]

Bama lost because of two things:

1) Bo went down. That completely changed their offense for the worse.

2. Clemson scored two touchdowns off pick plays that many teams, including Alabama, run.

FIFY.

Bo going down cost Alabama the game. He was the ground game and when they needed yardage, he got it. When he went down, their ability to effectively move the ball vanished. Hurts is a National Champion QB if Bo stays in that game.

Anyone complaining about the "pick" plays has on Crimson glasses. They need to take 'em off and look in the mirror. Kiffin ran them all the time.

[tcdog70]

no matter who ran them. the first one was in the gray area and the last one was illegal

[Bama_Dawg]

no matter who ran them. the first one was in the gray area and the last one was illegal

I'm sure they didn't call holding in some situations too...don't see you pointing those out...those do change the course of the game.

Any good coach/athlete will identify early on what the umpire or referees are/aren't calling and take advantage of it. Its up to both teams to adapt. Bama lost, cry about a pick(s), they still lost.

[TaleofTwoDogs]

Hurts is not a good QB. Serviceable, yes. Good, no. He'll get better though.

But, But, he is ALL-SEC. He's obviously better than the total offense leader in the SEC. Maybe Hurts should try TE? **

[tcdog70]

I'm sure they didn't call holding in some situations too...don't see you pointing those out...those do change the course of the game.

Any good coach/athlete will identify early on what the umpire or referees are/aren't calling and take advantage of it. Its up to both teams to adapt. Bama lost, cry about a pick(s), they still lost.

I would point them out if they resulted in Touchdowns . Why do,you think the refs are out there?

[BB30]

Again, blaming anything on Bama's offense last night is laughable. They put up 31 points and didn't turn the ball over. When you have the best D in the country backing you up, that should be plenty to win. Especially against a good D like Clemson. Hurts wasn't Peyton Manning, but he was good enough. Bama's secondary lost that game. It was a weakness all year (relatively speaking), but no one else besides Clemson and Ole Miss were able to exploit it. Zero blame for their loss can be laid on Hurts, Kiffin, or Sark.

Eh, Clemson was the best offense Bama faced all year. When you are 2/15 on 3rd down and your defense has to be on the field that long you are going to get worn down. I don't care who you have on the defensive side of the ball. They new going in they were going to have to score some points. I mean Clemson hung 40 on them last year.

[smootness]

Eh, Clemson was the best offense Bama faced all year. When you are 2/15 on 3rd down and your defense has to be on the field that long you are going to get worn down. I don't care who you have on the defensive side of the ball. They new going in they were going to have to score some points. I mean Clemson hung 40 on them last year.

Exactly. The bottom line is, you can say 31 points should have been enough to win, but the bottom line is that it wasn't. It's a team game, both sides are to blame because they both didn't do enough to win it. Bama had a bunch of short drives in which they didn't move the ball, which is a bad thing for your defense. And by the end of the game, you knew it was a tight game. The offense didn't come through enough.

[TUSK]

I don't think Hurts over Barnett cost Bammer the NC... nor did Sark over Freshwater... nor did the officiating

Bo going down contributed to our inability to sustain drives... "If" Bammer has just one more first down, they prolly would have won the thing...

I attribute most of what happened to Clemson being talented, well coached, and they played LIGHTS OUT (maybe the best they've played all year)... They deserved it, IMO...

[HSVDawg]

Eh, Clemson was the best offense Bama faced all year. When you are 2/15 on 3rd down and your defense has to be on the field that long you are going to get worn down. I don't care who you have on the defensive side of the ball. They new going in they were going to have to score some points. I mean Clemson hung 40 on them last year.

I agree that the flow of the game did not favor the defense. Bama seemed to either go 3 and out or hit a big play for a TD every drive (the Freeze offense). And all that showed up in the stats where the defense faced a school record of 99 plays. However, the front 7 mostly held up OK. The biggest mismatch on the field was the Clemson WR's against Bama's depleted secondary. It has been a weakness all year for them and was made worse by late season injuries affecting their depth. They skated by easily in the SEC because they only faced one team all year that had the personnel to exploit the weakness, and that team put up 43 on them. I just think its silly to gloss over all that and point the finger at Hurts / Kiffin for the loss. It was a team loss and Hurts' subpar effort didn't affect the game any more than Bama's lackluster pass defense.

[TUSK]

I agree that the flow of the game did not favor the defense. Bama seemed to either go 3 and out or hit a big play for a TD every drive (the Freeze offense). And all that showed up in the stats where the defense faced a school record of 99 plays. However, the front 7 mostly held up OK. The biggest mismatch on the field was the Clemson WR's against Bama's depleted secondary. It has been a weakness all year for them and was made worse by late season injuries affecting their depth. They skated by easily in the SEC because they only faced one team all year that had the personnel to exploit the weakness, and that team put up 43 on them. I just think its silly to gloss over all that and point the finger at Hurts / Kiffin for the loss. It was a team loss and Hurts' subpar effort didn't affect the game any more than Bama's lackluster pass defense.

That's a good point, HSV... Bammer had some tough luck with injuries this year, but it was overlooked by many because of depth/recruiting...

But, injuries are part of the game... shit happens...

Sidebar: Bammer actually outgained Clemson on a per play basis... but I think we only ran 7 plays to their 874*...

[dawgday166]

The biggest mismatch on the field was the Clemson WR's against Bama's depleted secondary. It has been a weakness all year for them and was made worse by late season injuries affecting their depth. They skated by easily in the SEC because they only faced one team all year that had the personnel to exploit the weakness, and that team put up 43 on them. I just think its silly to gloss over all that and point the finger at Hurts / Kiffin for the loss. It was a team loss and Hurts' subpar effort didn't affect the game any more than Bama's lackluster pass defense.


That's a good point, HSV... Bammer had some tough luck with injuries this year, but it was overlooked by many because of depth/recruiting...

But, injuries are part of the game... shit happens...

Sidebar: Bammer actually outgained Clemson on a per play basis... but I think we only ran 7 plays to their 874*...

Just curious ... was the secondary depleted against the team that hung 43 on them earlier in the year?

ETA: Just asking cause I thought they were at full strength against OM.

[bulldawg28]

Just curious ... was the secondary depleted against the team that hung 43 on them earlier in the year?

ETA: Just asking cause I thought they were at full strength against OM.

They were full strength against OM.

[TUSK]

Just curious ... was the secondary depleted against the team that hung 43 on them earlier in the year?

ETA: Just asking cause I thought they were at full strength against OM.

Nope. They had all of their guys vs OM... But Bammer has long been vulnerable to the "big play" due to the type D they play on the back end...

Being down Jackson & Hamilton vs Clemson just made it tougher on us...

[dawgday166]

Nope. They had all of their guys vs OM... But Bammer has long been vulnerable to the "big play" due to the type D they play on the back end...

Being down Jackson & Hamilton vs Clemson just made it tougher on us...

That's the way I think about it too. If (and it's usually a very big IF) a mobile QB who is also an accurate passer, gets enough time, AND has exceptional WRs, then Bama is vulnerable. There ain't 2 or 3 teams in the country that can maybe give the QB (adding in the QBs mobility and pocket awareness) that much time, along with the other 2 factors. Bama's D line is all over them in short order usually.

Another thing ... Watson took a beating early on but he kept getting up and didn't back down. That don't usually happen either.

ETA: Being down Jackson and Hamilton no doubt hurt the depth in secondary tho.

[bulldawg28]

Bama is looking vulnerable against FSU for the season opener. When was the last time Saban lost two in a row? Get ready, it's happening.

[TUSK]

That's the way I think about it too. If (and it's usually a very big IF) a mobile QB who is also an accurate passer, gets enough time, AND has exceptional WRs, then Bama is vulnerable. There ain't 2 or 3 teams in the country that can maybe give the QB (adding in the QBs mobility and pocket awareness) that much time, along with the other 2 factors. Bama's D line is all over them in short order usually.

Another thing ... Watson took a beating early on but he kept getting up and didn't back down. That don't usually happen either.

ETA: Being down Jackson and Hamilton no doubt hurt the depth in secondary tho.

I thought for a minute we had Watson "on the ropes"... and Bama had several chances to knock Clemson out, but those cats were resilient, to say the least...

and you are dead on RE the recipe to beat Bama.... fortunately, there's not a lot of teams that fall in that category...

[TUSK]

Bama is looking vulnerable against FSU for the season opener. When was the last time Saban lost two in a row? Get ready, it's happening.

No doubt, buddy... FSU is legit... I think it'll probably be a pickem type game...

To answer your question, I'd guess 2008 - SECCG & Sugar Bowl....

[bulldawg28]

No doubt, buddy... FSU is legit... I think it'll probably be a pickem type game...

To answer your question, I'd guess 2008 - SECCG & Sugar Bowl....

Gotcha.

[dawgday166]

I thought for a minute we had Watson "on the ropes"... and Bama had several chances to knock Clemson out, but those cats were resilient, to say the least...

and you are dead on RE the recipe to beat Bama.... fortunately, there's not a lot of teams that fall in that category...

I thought all week if Watson didn't throw any pick 6s and took care of the ball, they could win. It seemed to me that early in the game he was too concerned with taking care of the ball, but part of that may have been Bama's coverage too. And he took some good licks cause of it a few times, although Bama was getting there pretty quick. When they got down 14 tho he seemed to say **** it and started letting go better.

It was a great game. I also agree with you that Saban didn't lose the game in Sept.

Saban still seems to want to make sure his QB doesn't beat them, so it seemed they were conservative with Hurts most of game. I also tend to think Bama may have become a just little more conservative when they got up 14 cause Nick has confidence in his D, even more so with how they had played up to that point in the game.

Hurts was a victim of 2 or 3 dropped passes too. As Saban said they made plays and Bama didn't when it mattered. Both sides of the ball too.

[dawgday166]

Bama is looking vulnerable against FSU for the season opener. When was the last time Saban lost two in a row? Get ready, it's happening.

I hate it when Bama loses an early game. Makes it miserable for everyone else on their schedule.

[TUSK]

I hate it when Bama loses an early game. Makes it miserable for everyone else on their schedule.

Gonna go 14-1 (FSU) and get revenge (FSU) in the NCG***** woot!

edit - of course, that won't be fair to the #5 team because "bama already had their shot"...***

[msstate7]

Gonna go 14-1 (FSU) and get revenge (FSU) in the NCG***** woot!

Way too early playoff prediction...

Bama
Ohio state #1
Fsu
Oklahoma

[TUSK]

Way too early playoff prediction...

Bama
Ohio state #1
Fsu
Oklahoma

Watch out for USC, daddio! Love your list, otherwise!

[dawgday166]

Gonna go 14-1 (FSU) and get revenge (FSU) in the NCG***** woot!

edit - of course, that won't be fair to the #5 team because "bama already had their shot"...***

Yea dammit ... I can see it now.

Bama gets whupped by FL St. and ALL the media (including Pawl) start questioning if Saban is done ... he's faltering, he's lost something, blah, blah, blah. Then Saban runs the table and beats the shit out of FSU in championship and ALL the media will proclaim he's the greatest sports coach of ALL time (this includes John Wooden too).

[whatever]

Again, blaming anything on Bama's offense last night is laughable. They put up 31 points and didn't turn the ball over. When you have the best D in the country backing you up, that should be plenty to win. Especially against a good D like Clemson. Hurts wasn't Peyton Manning, but he was good enough. Bama's secondary lost that game. It was a weakness all year (relatively speaking), but no one else besides Clemson and Ole Miss were able to exploit it. Zero blame for their loss can be laid on Hurts, Kiffin, or Sark.
They had like 8 or 9 3&outs, two 5&outs, and 11 punts. Bama's D got two turnovers inside the Clemson 30 that resulted in no first downs and only 3 points. You can't keep going 3 and out over and over and put your D back on the field all night and expect them to keep holding them. Even their scoring drives were short, scoring TD's on a 3 play, 4play, and 5 play drive. They didn't hold or possess the ball for any length of time all night, which gave Clemson an abnormal amount of possessions/plays.

Bama had 9 stops in Clemson's first 10 drives, forced 9 punts on the night, that's A LOT of stops against an offense that good. They got completely worn down the more they had to go on the field, as any defense would. The average amount of possessions in a game ranges between 10-12, Clemson had 17.

I'd say not having Kiffin was the killer, he's creative, unpredictable, and always seemed to find things that Hurts could do in the passing game. Scarbrough wasn't the primary back for 80% of their games and Harris/Jacobs are pretty good anyway so I think it's a reach to blame the game on an injury to a guy that has taken about 25% of the snaps at a position

[TUSK]

They had like 8 or 9 3&outs, two 5&outs, and 11 punts. Bama's D got two turnovers inside the Clemson 30 that resulted in no first downs and only 3 points. You can't keep going 3 and out over and over and put your D back on the field all night and expect them to keep holding them. Even their scoring drives were short, scoring TD's on a 3 play, 4play, and 5 play drive. They didn't hold or possess the ball for any length of time all night, which gave Clemson an abnormal amount of possessions/plays.

Bama had 9 stops in Clemson's first 10 drives, forced 9 punts on the night, that's A LOT of stops against an offense that good. They got completely worn down the more they had to go on the field, as any defense would. The average amount of possessions in a game ranges between 10-12, Clemson had 17.

Nice analysis... I'll add one for ya: TOP Clemson 35, Bama 25...

Clemson "Bama'd" Bama... ('cept they chunked it instead of totin' it)