2009 Crimson Tide – one of college football’s all-time greatest teams
By Shane from Centerpoint
Throughout the course of college football history fans have witnessed some truly amazing performances on the gridiron. They’ve seen dominant teams produce amazing results on the road to the national championship. In fact, several of those champions left permanent impressions on the country, each making a solid case to be considered among the best to ever take the field. In my opinion the accomplishments of the 2009 Alabama football program might overshadow them all.
Yes, I’m sure that opposing fans will spend days compiling data and making inane arguments against my last statement. They might even be able to muster a couple of equal comparisons, but after reading this column I think you’ll understand why it’s probably pointless to try.
The accomplishments of the 2009 Crimson Tide football team were simply astounding by any standards.
The following list of facts should serve as solid proof and leave little doubt that this 2009 Crimson Tide unit should be considered one of the nation’s all time best:
In beating LSU and then Florida and Texas back-to-back, Alabama beat the three previous BCS championship schools (Texas 2005, Florida 2006, LSU 2007 and Florida 2008).
After becoming the first Alabama team to beat Texas (who was also undefeated), the Crimson Tide became only the second BCS champion to have a 14-0 final record.
In the BCS title game against Texas they beat college football’s winningest quarterback in Colt McCoy; and just two weeks before that the Tide harassed Florida’s Tim Tebow – perhaps the best college football player ever – into submission. Shutting those two down consecutively was an awesome achievement by the Alabama defense.
On their way to that rare 14-0 season, the Crimson Tide beat: The Big 12 champion, the BCS Sugar Bowl winner, the Cotton Bowl winner, the Outback Bowl winner, the Chick-Fil-A winner, and the Liberty Bowl victor.
If that’s not convincing enough, four of their opponents had coaches who’ve won national titles.
Alabama also beat elite teams from the SEC, ACC, and the Big 12 this year, while also going undefeated in 24 regular season outings during the last two.
During those undefeated regular seasons the Tide ran-off 16 straight regular season conference wins (8 on the road) in a league billed as the nation’s toughest.
Other indicators point to Alabama’s greatness as well:
This 2009 Bama squad had the most All-Americans (6) ever assembled in one year on a team.
Alabama pulled off the ultra-rare feat of producing a Heisman trophy winner the same year they took the national crown.
And finally, you can’t overlook the fact that Alabama’s head coach, Nick Saban is the only coach in the AP era to win the national championship at two schools.
Throw all that in with the way Alabama absolutely dominated most opponents this past Fall – many without breaking a sweat (kudos to Auburn for Bama’s toughest game), and it’s pretty clear that the 2009 Crimson Tide football team should be considered one of the greatest of all time.
Shane writes a weekly column for the Call News and the Capstone Report.
I disagree with 2006 Florida. Any team that loses a regular season game should be scrutinized closer. As you know, they did get beat by an 11-2 Auburn team that year. (And got beat the following year by an average Auburn team.)
I would include the 2004 Auburn team in the top 3, easily.
If you remember, as good as ’04 USC was, it almost came down to Auburn playing OKLAHOMA for the NC. USC had a MAJOR scare in their last regular season game that year….I forgot the details.
Oh, and Auburn would have stomped Oklahoma, no question.
This was the best team ever. They would have beaten 04 Auburn 62-0. We wil be even better in 2010.RTR
AU WENT 0-2 VS SC AND LOST 23-0 …IN 02 ANS 03 .THE PROGRAM DOES NOT BELONG WITH THE BIG BOYS ..BOTH USC AND OK HAD GREAT SEASONS BEFORE AND SINCE….AU WAS A HAWAII THAT FELL THROUGH THE CRACKS – DUE TO LSU COMING OFF NC,BAMA PROBATION,FLA AND ZOOK SINKING SHIP.GA REBUILDING…
OKLAHOMA WOULD HAVE STOPMPED AU – 45 – 6
USC was also scared in their first game of that season. The Hokies took em to the wire . the same team we beat handily in our 04 bowl game.
ABSOLUTELY DID NOT BEAT HOKIES HANDILY – 16 13
31 13 09 OLE MISS OVER O4 AU
Yeah and the ’04 Barners were scared and outplayed by a lousy Bama, so what’s your point? ’06 Florida? No way. USC was as good or better. They beat Michigan who was the equal of Ohio St and who most people thought should have been rematched with them. And beat them much worse than Florida beat Ohio St. It’s close between ’09 Bama, ’04 USC and ’05 Texas. ’05 Texas had the QB that wouldn’t be denied and beat the media annointed greatest team of all time. Ha ha ha! ’04 USC had the next years Heisman winner Reggie Bush and Heisman winner Pat Leinert, but no Pac10 Champ Game. They would have destroyed the Barn just as they had done the 2 previous years. But Bama had their own QB that wouldn’t be denied. Et al the SECCG and playing the BCSNCG with broken ribs. Also had our own Heisman winner, 6 All Americans, 10 pro invitees, wins over 10 bowl teams and very impressive consecutive wins over #1 and #2. Yep, I’ll have to give the edge to ’09 Bama.
I don’t know EG, ’09 bama was just 2 years removed from being “destroyed” by LaMonroe. Your rationale makes loads of sense.
And since bama lost to Florida in ’08, they were supposed to lose to them in ’09??? Huh?
It’s all water under the bridge. Can’t wait for spring practice.
23 – NOTHING …BAMA WAS CLOSE IN 08 …THEY DID NOT GET EMBARRASSED – PROVED THEY WERE IN THE SAME LEAGUE….AU NOT IN THE SAME CLASS AS THE BIG BOYS – LIKE A HAWAII THAT FELL THROUGH THE CRACKS.
09 OLE MISS DESTROYS O4 AU FO SHO 31 13
It’s not even close to the same scenario AUROX. The same USC team whipped the same Barner team back to back and they were much better the 3rd year with the Heisman QB Leinert. Whereas Bama was rebuilding and geometrically improving off of probation, with the best coach in the nation and tons of top young recruits gaining experience. Don’t try to compare diamonds to dog shit! ROTFLMAO! RTR!
And the ’04 Auburn team was light years better than the ’03 team, in large part due to the West Coast offense put in by the NEW OC Borges, and a much more experienced defense coached by none other than Chizik. 11.3 points allowed per game, compared to 11.7 allowed for ’09 bammer. WAR EAGLE
Who would win now if we played Monroe?
That’s exactly my point elephant man.
YO! AUROX, 2004 USC got a scare in their last regular season game against their cross-town rival UCLA. Similar to the “scare” that 2009 ‘Bama recieved from AU. Rivalries ARE games that have to be won by championship contenders and in BOTH circumstances ’04 USC beat UCLA and ’09 ‘Bama beat Auburn. As for 2006 Florida I’ll get to that soon.
I will believe until the day I die that 2004 Auburn could have beaten 2004 USC. USC NEVER faced a secondary like Auburn had that year. It would have been a good game, a touchdown either way. Yes, USC did beat Auburn like a drum the year before. Two words: Nall Ball. Borge’s system was perfect for what Auburn had that year. Let’s break down some of the positions:
QB: Jason Campbell vs. Matt Leinhart
EDGE: even
RB: Reggie Bush and Lendale White vs. Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown
EDGE: Even
Receivers: Auburn. Ben Obamanu, Devin Aromashudu, Anthony Mix, and Courtney Taylor. USC had Dewayne Jarrett.
Offensive Line: I give the edge here to Auburn due to Marcus McNeill and Ben Grubbs. Although Justice for USC was a solid tackle
Defensive Line: With Shaun Cody and Manuel Wright, I give the edge to USC although Auburn’s defensive line was solid.
Linebackers: USC.
Secondary: I call it even. USC had Bing. Auburn had Carlos Rogers and Junior Rosegreen would knock your damn head off.
Special teams: Auburn.
So I have an advantage for Auburn on the offensive line, special teams and wide receivers, USC with an advantage on linebackers and defensive line. the rest even. That is why I think it would have been a touchdown either way. Too bad we will never know.
YO! St Clair…..I know, it’s just that nearly everyone considers ’04 USC as one of the best teams of the decade, if not the last 50 years. But they came INCREDIBLY close, 2 different times (once at the start of the season and once at the end), of not even playing for the NC……which seems to be the “accepted” bogus benchmark for how good a team is. That kind of illustrates just how subjective the present BCS system is.
Auburn got the same “scare” from Bama in ’04, and the ESPN pundits hammered Auburn for the “close” game. It seemed as if they were having to defend the system, to validate their pro-BCS bias. I understand rivalries…..if you remember, I was on here before the IB warning the bammers that the game would come down to much more than who had the best players. 5 Star Player “Emotion” would easily score 10 to 14 points.
I’m waiting for your defense of ’06 Florida…..
YO! Now AUROX, as we ALL know, AU hasn’t won a NC since way back yonder in the late 1950′s. The comparisons that I was making were between squads that actually won NC’s. Since you want to compare the ’04 AU squad with the ’06 Gator squad here’s a few team stats. Scoring: 2006 UF 35.9 to 12.4. 2004 AU 32.1 to 11.3. Total Offense: ’06 UF 6410 yds., 457.9 YPG. ’04 AU 5469 yds., 420.7 YPG. 3rd Down Percentage: ’06 UF 49%, 87/177. ’04 AU 46%, 72/157. 4th Down Percentage: ’06 UF 65%, 11/17. ’04 AU 47%, 7/15. Time of Possession: ’04 AU 31:51 per game, ’06 UF 30:45 per game. Total Sacks: ’06 UF 39, ’04 AU 36. Total Sacks Given Up: ’04 AU 18, ’06 UF 28. I could go on but that would take up TOO MUCH TIME. Sure, ’06 AU beat ’06 UF but when comparing 2006 UF to 2004 AU there AIN’T no comparison simply because ’04 AU DIDN’T WIN A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!
YO! As for the “scares” that occur during championship seasons, that’s GONNA HAPPEN with ANY squad that wins it all. What REALLY MATTERS is the “W.” That ALWAYS looks a helluva lot better than a “L.”
YO! St. Clair…….forgive me for changing subjects…….but let me ask you one question. Was the 1966 Alabama football not the most dominant team in college football for that year? No, I didn’t ask if they were the most integrated. I asked if they were the most dominant. Yes….or no?
YO! AUROX, I can’t tell you if the ’66 squad was the most dominant but I can say the following: 1966 UA scored 301 total points, ALL 1966 UA opponents scored 44 total. ’66 UA recorded 6 shutouts and only 2 opponents scored in double-digits; Tennessee 10 & Miss. State 14. ’66 UA whipped AU’s arse 31-0. UA also whipped Nebraska 34-7 in the Sugar Bowl. ‘Bama was the ONLY undefeated AND untied team in the nation. Notre Dame was undefeated but tied Michigan State. The story goes that Notre Dame played for the tie but State DID TRY to win it.
So you are saying that you can compile a bunch of stats which would lead a bright second grader to conclude that the 1966 Alabama football team was in fact the best team in college football for that year, albeit minus the National Champion designation?
By the way, in hindsight, I do consider that team to be the best of 1966, and more dominant than the preceding 2 “National Champ” teams. You see, I don’t let personal bias cloud my judgement. I’m smarter than that.
By the way, ass clown, I checked your stats. You were either lying, or a complete moron.
’04 AU (417-147, 32.1 pts per game vs. 11.3 allowed)
’06 FL (416-189, 29.7 scored vs. 13.5 allowed)
’04 AU 6.4 pts per play, ’06 FL 6.3
’04 AU 3rd down conversion 46% vs. 44% for ’06 FL
’04 AU 4th down conversion 47% vs. 50% for ’06 FL
Time of Possession AU 31.51 FL 31.08
Average Total Offense per Game ’04 AU (420.7 yds) ’06 FL (396.1 yds)
Yea, 2006 Florida was better. And I bet you’re a graduate of the University of Auburn.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AWFUL AFTER ALL THE MONEY SABAN SPENT BUYING PLAYERS THE LAST 3 YEARS IF BAMMER HAD NOT BEEN REWARDED THEIR 400TH NC. CHEATING DOES PAY OFF IN THE SHORT TERM BUT YOU KILL YOU LATER.SHORTY SABAN IS NOT WORRIED ABOUT LATER OR ANYONE BUT HIMSELF.HE WILL BE GONE WHEN THE NCAA PULLS THE TRIGGER ON THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM.THE CLOCK IS TICKING AND SHORTY IS NERVOUS.
All the bammernecks love to give Auburn a hard time for 2004 but Auburn had no control over what happened with the computers. You act like it was something that Auburn did that had an outcome in the computers. I think the point that AUROX is trying to make is that the national media gave Auburn hell for barely beating a 6-6 Bama team 21-13, while not batting an eye at USC barely beating a 5-7 UCLA team 29-24, and I personally think that 2004 Bama was a MUCH better team than 2004 UCLA, but that is my opinion.
Back to my original point, there is so much with the computers that is out of the team’s control. 2005 Alabama is a good example. Alabama was undefeated until the last two games of the season when they lost to LSU and Auburn. Had Bama gone undefeated, there is a good chance that the same thing that happened to Auburn the year before could have happened to Bama. It is unlikely that they would have leaped over Texas at that point, due to them being so far behind in the computers at the start.
Hell, look at 2006 Florida. Do you remember how Florida got to play Ohio State? USC was upset by UCLA 13-9 the last week of the season. If USC beats UCLA, it is USC and Ohio State for the national championship. Florida doesn’t even go. Am I making any sense here? I am trying to say that there is only so much you can do on the field.
Saban isn’t cheating any more than anybody else. If you hate it now, just wait because our best teams have yet to play.Those two #1 classes went 12-2 and 14-0 and do you really think there will be a drop off? NO! We are at the beginning of a dynasty here that will last 5-7 years with awards and championships to go around. Saban is so good, he’s even making Auburn better! RTR
Saban made Tebow cry and McCoy quit. You can’t compare to that! This is only the beginning!RTR
457 days since our last loss!RTR
Whatever your name was you’re a fucking idiot claiming Campbell and Williams were even with Heisman winners Leinert and Bush. Throws you whole analogy in the shitter. What an idiot. Same as claiming Tate was equal to Ingram. Morons! RTR!
YO! AUROX, I got the Gator stats from their website. I’ll check them AGAIN!
YO! AUROX, the link I clicked was mistakenly listed as 2006 stats. The stats I used were the ’09 stats. I’m sorry I defaced your beloved ’04 Tigers. As far as the “name-calling,” that was UNNECESSARY. As far as “personal bias” is concerned I’ve PROVEN SEVERAL TIMES that even though I’m a Bammer I AM OBJECTIVE. So I made a mistake! Not the first won’t be the last.