I view it as a tremendous success in both directions. We got rid of a moron who was petrified of the press and any type of legitimate questioning and scrutiny, and the college game got a savior who made sure that defense and physical football were still paramount amidst all the lazy cupcake styles elsewhere.
Imagine if Saban never returned, and the Big 12 tinkerbell approach was viewed as the ultimate goal. So scary I don't even want to think of it. You'd have one genius sports analyst and one message board poster after another insisting that no defense is capable of stopping/slowing those teams.
Saban's personnel history here gave no hint that he knew what he was doing, without 85 scholarships and a built-in advantage.
Major kudos to Pete Carroll for transferring from college to pro and becoming champion at each level. I thought Carroll made a mistake. But Seattle for a few years had a distinct advantage in identifying lower rated players based on arm length at cornerback, etc.