I don't care about Saban as long as I'm not subjected to him as coach of any team I root for. I stopped posting here during 2006 because it was unbearable to root for a team led by a lowlife. That's all he'll ever be to me, based on his belittling attitude toward media members and lower level personnel. Saban has a face that should be smacked repeatedly from every angle. Maybe allow 5 minutes rest per hour, like those strenuous world record attempts.
He'd get used to it.
That being said, Alabama is exactly the type of team I love. Barrel chested, huge and physical. Run oriented with aggressive defense. That team could survive a stretch of games minus its QB, just like the '72 Dolphins did. I had to laugh tonight when the other side was so inept the first half minus McCoy. QB oriented teams deserve every bit of that. In fact, the bowl season in general this year was glorious in that basic football dominated almost without exception. The spread and mush teams were sent home whimpering.
Maybe the Big 12 can emphasize the short and sideways passes to greater extent. Every play can be a flanker screen and we'll prance to the end zone. Alabama should be ashamed for allowing a few of them to work. I have no idea how the pantyhose Big 12 isn't ridiculed annually. Somehow the Big 10 unfairly has taken the brunt of the criticism. Meanwhile, minus a simple dropped INT from scrub Ryan Ting when USC led Texas by 12 four years ago, the Big 12 would have dropped every championship game it's contested since Oklahoma over FSU in 2000. It's by far the softest major conference, averaging fewer than 36 rushing attempts per game every season.
The hilarious shovel pass to end the first half reminded me of Joe Theismann's similar donation to the Raiders and Jack Squirek in the '84 Super Bowl.