After allowing a 75-yard touchdown pass on the game’s first play from scrimmage, the Alabama Crimson Tide went on to score 62 unanswered points in their week three road victory against Ole Miss.
The Crimson Tide have scored an average of almost 57 points and they have allowed just under 10 through their first three games.
After three weeks, according to ESPN’s College Football Playoff Predictor, Alabama has a 78 percent chance to make the playoffs and many are considering them to be the best team in the nation.
Sound familiar?
For the last decade or so in college football, it’s been more or less a formality that Alabama has been hovering around the top of the rankings. There’s always a handful of impact players that analysts say will be very successful at the next level. And everyone wonders which game can actually be considered their “first real test”.
Sadly for Alabama haters like myself, this has become an all-too-regular thing. The program, that since 2007 has been coached by Nick Saban, is currently a reigning dynasty. Over the past 10 seasons, they have won five National Championships. The team has also appeared in each of the first four editions of the College Football Playoffs and if they were not the champions of the playoff themselves, they at least lost to the team that would go on to win it.
There was a discussion on ESPN’s College Football Live earlier this week over whether or not dynasties are a good thing in college football.
Looking at this specific case, the answer is absolutely yes, it’s a good thing!
As I said (many times) before, I hate Alabama’s guts. But had they not been anywhere near this successful in the past decade that would likely not be the case.
Actually, it would completely not be the case.
Why the hell would I pay attention to Alabama if they weren’t good?
It definitely helps a lot that they even beat my beloved Fighting Irish to win the 2012 National Championship.
But the point is that Alabama’s success has caught my attention. Because they are so good and seem to nonchalantly win year in and year out, I actively want to see them lose.
Admittedly, I believe a dominate team like Alabama is good for college football.
It brings a unique aspect to the game and it is exciting to at least hope they will lose and start to collapse within themselves.
You may not be able to say the same about other sports (like the NBA), but dynasties in college football are a good thing.