Saban on Alabama’s future: This isn’t the end, this is the beginning

[Syrinx]

TUSCALOOSA | Not even Florida or Texas could stand in the way of the University of Alabama’s 13th national crown.

And not even Mother Nature stood in the way of the party for it.

Looming rain clouds held their water over the UA campus just long enough to keep the Crimson Tide’s national championship celebration dry Saturday as an estimated 38,000 fans crowded the lower bowl on the home half of Bryant-Denny Stadium to show their appreciation for a 14-0 season.

“This group has been very responsible and accountable to doing a great job in what they’ve managed to do,” UA coach Nick Saban said in his address to the crowd. “And they’ve all committed to work and invested their time in the things it would take for them to be the best they can be in any situation, and collectively as a team. That makes them a team of champions.”

Perhaps the most raucous applause came when Saban made his only comment about the team’s future.“This isn’t the end,” he said. “This is the beginning.”

http://www.tidesports.com/article/20100117/NEWS/100119613/1011?Title=Saban-on-Alabama--8217-s-future--This-isn--8217-t-the-end--this-is-the-beginning

[trumad]

1. Fuck that lying POS.

[lazarus]

2. the thing is

we may actually be even better next year. Yeah, we're losing a few good players (esp. Cody and Orlando McCain), but we get Donta back, the offense has a year's more experience, and the whole team is fairly young.

[Syrinx]

8. I love your Verne Lundquist impression!

:rofl:

[lazarus]

11. glad someone got it

That's been a running joke all year between me and my sister. :hi:

[El Supremo]

3. Oh? Are you going to play Boise State?

Or chicken out?

[lazarus]

4. Bama is playing Penn State

Why play Boise? It's a no-win situation. If Bama wins, it's supposed to, because Boise is in the WAC. But if Bama loses, all hell breaks loose.

If you really want to play with the big boys, join a real conference.

Besides, Boise can't even afford to travel to the SEC:

"We're questioning any East Coast kind of travel arrangements," Bleymaier said. "A lot of (the games) have already been contracted for, but we've talked about going forward, you really need to look at regional matchups and figuring out how you can have the best schedule you can have at the lowest cost. And you need to be planning that now for the next year and the year after that."

http://www.idahostatesman.com/sports/story/805045.html

And they charge a ton of money to play them, too:

Boise State likely will be more aggressive in pursuing “guarantee” football games — one-time road games against powerhouse programs for which the Broncos are paid handsomely. Athletic director Gene Bleymaier has sprinkled those into his schedule sparingly in the past but recognizes them as an easy way to increase revenue in tight times. The Broncos have openings in 2010 and 2011 that could be filled by that type of game.

And it doesn't always work out for them:

In recent years, the Broncos have cashed checks from Washington (2007, $550,000), Georgia (2005, $600,000), Arkansas (2002) and South Carolina (2001) — all games the Broncos lost. Bleymaier is considering a guarantee game for 2010, he said. The Broncos already have six home games next year.

So, you want Alabama to shell out big money to play a team that might beat them so that that team can look better? They do things differently in Idaho.

[JonLP24]

5. I'm not on El's side here

just a few points.


If you really want to play with the big boys, join a real conference.

Why does everyone say that? It's not like they can barge their way into any conference they damn well please. The only 'BCS' conference that makes sense regionally is the Pac 10 and they would have to get a conference invite because it's up to the Pac 10 to decide to add a school when they have the same 10 teams in other sports and Boise State may not be a good fit when you consider other things besides football. Point is, it's not up to Boise, Pac 10 has to want them.

Besides, Boise can't even afford to travel to the SEC:

Not disputing anything in the link and this is part of why I disagree with El. First the 2010 schedule is already set so playing Alabama is out of the question. Second they are traveling to Washington DC(or a nearby city) to play Virginia Tech at FedEx Field so they somehow were able to afford that trip.

Other things you say I don't dispute. In fact I agree with the statement about the incentive for teams to play them. "If Bama wins, it's supposed to, because Boise is in the WAC. But if Bama loses, all hell breaks loose."

[lazarus]

6. Yeah, that was a bit flip

I retract that bit about joining another conference.

[Syrinx]

7. When did Alabama chicken out of playing Boise?

:shrug:

[piedmont]

9. Boise's strength of schedule ranked 81st-- Bama's was #2.

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/2009/Internet/toughest%20schedule/fbs_9games_cumm.pdf

Winning 14 games is easy when you play 12 nobodies.

[lazarus]

10. interesting

4 SEC teams in the top ten of toughest schedules.

[trumad]

12. Best post I've seen on this subject...

Case closed.