Tide again among nation’s elite

Alabama football is dominant again.

Doubt that? One NFL expert believes the talent level at Alabama is among the elite in college football. Alabama’s name was mentioned with the likes of USC, LSU and Florida in a Chicago Tribune story attempting to examine why the Big Ten has fared so poorly in bowls.

It isn’t a lack of talent in the Big Ten, according to a study by the Chicago Tribune. The Tribune found the Big Ten has produced more NFL talent over the last five years than the Pac-10 and Big 12; the Big Ten trailed only the SEC and ACC for most NFL players during that same period.

So what accounts for the Big Ten’s abysmal bowl record? The Tribune offers analysis from Colts president Bill Polian; Polian said the bowl losses could be anything from unfavorable matchups to disappointment in bowl games on the part of Big Ten teams. But the most interesting thing Polian had to say was this:

“Polian believes the talent in the conference is comparable to the talent anywhere in the country—with the exception of a handful of dominant schools such as Southern California, Alabama, LSU and Florida.”

Not bad company in Saban’s second season. And with 2009’s recruiting class, the talent will only get more dominant for the Crimson Tide.