Fifth in a series previewing SEC football teams.
HOOVER, Ala. - Paul “Bear” Bryant couldn’t do it. Neither could Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Bud Wilkinson, Tom Osborne, Barry Switzer nor any other college football coaching legend.
No college coach since the advent of modern polling has led his team to three consecutive widely recognized national championships.
Alabama’s Nick Saban can do it this season.
All of the coaches above, and a couple more, have guided their teams to two championships in a row during the modern era, but the third title has been elusive.
Saban brushed aside comparisons to Bryant, the Alabama coach from Fordyce who won five Associated Press national championships. But not only is Saban literally walking in Bryant’s footsteps on the Alabama sideline, he’s treading in territory the Bear occupied on a historic plateau.
Bryant’s teams took AP titles in 1964 and 1965, then went back to back in 1978 and 1979. The AP did not regularly include the outcome of bowl games in its final poll until 1968.
Alabama is already the first team to win consecutive titles in the BCS era (since 1998), so what does Saban think about a shot at three in a row?
“I don’t think about it in that regard,” he told reporters at SEC media days last week. “I never, ever do. I think the most important thing for me to do is get our staff, the people in our organization, our players, to be as good as this team can be.”
Saban’s current Crimson Tide has lost one SEC game each of the past two seasons, but has rallied to claim Bowl Championship Series crowns,their second and third of the past four seasons.
The current Alabama team, picked last week to win the SEC championship, is the likely choice to open the season No. 1 in the AP poll.
The term “dynasty” has been floated to describe the current Crimson Tide.
“Coach Saban doesn’t say it’s a dynasty, so I’m not going to say it’s a dynasty,” said senior quarterback AJ McCarron, who is 25-2 as a starter, including two championship game victories. “We know what we’ve achieved. We don’t need one word to describe what we’ve accomplished.”
Saban, always a believer in “the process” rather than the result, tried to halt three-peat talk in its tracks.
“I just think it’s crazy to speculate because of the fact that each year you have a different type of team,” Saban said.
Alabama players at SEC media days couldn’t fully dodge the deluge of questions about a three-peat.
“It’s in the back of everybody’s mind for sure,” Alabama guard Anthony Steen said, before he pointed out what the biggest driving factor is for Crimson Tide players. “I think it’s more about not wanting to disappoint Coach Saban. It makes us go that much harder every day, to try and make him happy,because I know, for me, I don’t want to make him mad.”
Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley said staying humble is key for the Tide.
“It makes sure that we’re living in the moment,” he said. “Not looking ahead to games or thinking about back to-back championships or anything like that.”
The Crimson Tide did not suffer a talent drain like in 2010, when it fell to 10-3 after winning the 2009 BCS championship over Texas.
Saban said he thinks this team’s skill talent will rival the best in his tenure.
McCarron isn’t just a strong game manager, he’s thrown for 5,956 yards and 49 touchdowns with only 8 interceptions in two full seasons as a starter after seeing action as a reserve in 2010.
Sophomore tailback T.J. Yeldon racked up 1,108 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns last season as the backup to 1,322-yard rusher Eddie Lacy,who is now in the NFL.
Amari Cooper, a 1,000-yard receiver as a freshman last year, joins Kevin Norwood, Kenny Bell and fast-riser DeAndrew White to give Alabama a strong collection of receivers.
Steen and Cyrus Kouandijo return on the offensive front, and all four starting linebackers - Mosley, Adrian Hubbard, Trey DePriest and Xzavier Dickson - are back to lead Alabama’s 3-4 defense.
Alabama has led the nation in total defense the past two seasons and has ranked in the top five each of the past five years.
Alabama has a challenge right out of the gate when it faces Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic on Aug. 31, but the schedule sets up favorably after that. The Crimson Tide has open dates before its Sept. 14 game at Texas A&M and its Nov. 9 game vs. LSU and its opponents from the SEC East - Tennessee and Kentucky - combined to go 1-15 in SEC games last year.
McCarron discussed a college career that has brought him three championship rings, including one during his 2009 redshirt season.
“Blessed,” he said. “I don’t know what else to say. I was involved in a bad wreck when I was little. I feel like God’s given me a second chance at life, he’s kept his hand over me, and it’s just a blessing to do what I’ve done, to be here.”
2013 schedule
++AUG. 31 vs. Va. Tech, 4:30 p.m.
+SEPT. 14 at Texas A&M, 2:30 p.m.
SEPT. 21 Colorado State
+SEPT. 28 Ole Miss
OCT. 5 at Georgia State
+OCT. 12 at Kentucky
+OCT. 19 Arkansas
+OCT. 26 Tennessee
+NOV. 9 LSU
+NOV. 16 at Miss. State
NOV. 23 Chattanooga
+NOV. 30 at Auburn
++Chick-fil-A Classic +SEC game
Alabama at a glance
LAST SEASON 13-1, 7-1 (1st) in SEC West
COACH Nick Saban (63-13 in 8th year at Alabama, 154-55-1 in 18th year overall)
RETURNING STARTERS Offense 6, defense 7
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS QB AJ McCarron, LB C.J. Mosley, LT Cyrus Kouandijo, S Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, OG Anthony Steen, WR Amari Cooper, LB Trey DePriest
SEC TITLE SCENARIO Alabama has a bit of reloading to do on the offensive and defensive fronts, but with AJ McCarron back behind center and the running back crew in good hands, led by T.J. Yeldon, the Tide could be the preseason No. 1 team in the country. An early date at Texas A&M, which upset the Tide last season, could be pivotal.
Sports, Pages 23 on 07/21/2013