Poll: Best Bama Team of the 1970s?
- Thread starter IGetBuckets
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Can't even really decide off-hand on this one. This is the opposite situation from the 1980s thread, where several flawed teams made it difficult to pick a true best, because with the 1970s you've got so many great teams that it is hard to distinguish one greatness versus another greatness.
Easy pick is 1979 simply because they went undefeated, but frankly I kind of tend to think that we may have had a couple of teams that were better than they were, even if those teams ended up dropping a game somewhere along the way. I'd have to mull this one over a bit.
Easy pick is 1979 simply because they went undefeated, but frankly I kind of tend to think that we may have had a couple of teams that were better than they were, even if those teams ended up dropping a game somewhere along the way. I'd have to mull this one over a bit.
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Well, that's it, you can rule out some teams easily, namely 1970 and 1976. You can also fairly safely rule out 1971 and 1972, even though those were some really good teams in their own right, and honestly teams that any other program would have sold their proverbial first-born to have had.
But for the rest? Good luck. Sorting through '73, '74, '75, '77, '78, and '79 is very, very tricky.
I voted for the '79 team, but nearly voted for the '78 team.....yeah, I know they lost 1 game, but that team played Nebraska, Missouri, So Cal, and Washington in the first 5 games, with 2 of those on the road, and still won 4 of the first 5 games. Pretty good feat by anyone's standards.
1978 gets my vote. The goal line stand (1978 team, even though the game was in January 1979) is one of my all-time favorite moments in Alabama history. It was a true team effort, not just on fourth down, but on the two previous plays. Murray Legg went to my high school, so he was one of my favorite players growing up. He was part of that final play at the goal line.
In terms of talent - watch some film of the 1977 team and drool. Ozzie Newsome, Johnny Davis, Tony Nathan, and pretty much the same super solid defense as 1978. One mistake-filled early season game at Nebraska was the only loss, and we won at Southern Cal (imagine scheduling those two away games these days). The 35-6 beatdown of Ohio St. in the Sugar Bowl was classic. Bear took it easy on Woody to be a good sport.
I put this team just behind 1966 as the best without the ring. They deserved it.
I put this team just behind 1966 as the best without the ring. They deserved it.
Again, 1979 is the easy choice for that very reason (i.e. undefeated), but that alone does not necessarily make them the right choice. Three general issues with the 1979 team to consider:
(1) Although quality depth was great, top-end talent wasn't really what it was in some other years. If you compare top-end talent v. top-end talent, I'm not sure it was as good as either 1977 or 1978.
(2) The 1979 team went undefeated, but it did so against a weaker regular season schedule than we often faced throughout the rest of the 1970s. The OOC schedule in 1979 featured three really bad teams and one mediocre team (8-4 Baylor), whereas in years before we had much tougher opponents. By comparison, 1978 had the murderer's row of USC, Nebraska, Mizzou, and Washington, and 1977 had USC and Nebraska, for example. In other words, I think you can reasonably make the argument that some of the other teams we had in the 1970s would have also gone undefeated had they been given the luxury of the schedule the 1979 team faced.
(3) Bowl opponent in 1979 was also relatively weak, compared to previous years. Arkansas that year was a solid opponent, but they weren't anything particularly special, either. They ended up winning a share of the old SWC after losing to Houston (which, based on head-to-head tiebreaker, was the "true" SWC champion that year and earned the Cotton Bowl berth), and winning a handful of close games against traditional SWC foes. Again, solid bunch, but you really can't even begin to compare them to what we faced in bowls with 1971 Nebraska, 1973 Notre Dame, 1974 Notre Dame, and 1978 Penn State. Outside if 1970 and 1976, as Gray mentioned above, I'd take any other team we had in the 1970s any day of the week over that 1979 Arkansas team. I will absolutely guarantee this: If our 1971, 1973, and 1974 teams had drawn that 1979 Arkansas team on New Year's Day, every one of those teams would have finished up 12-0.
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It was really tough to pick one but I voted for the '73 team but the '78 and '79 teams were truly great also. The '73 team was the UPI N.C. and lost by one point to Notre Dame that absolutely broke my heart. The '79 team gave up only 67 pts all year (5 shutouts) in 12 games and give up double digits in only two of those games.
Went with 1977. By the end of that season, Alabama was clearly the best team in the country and went on to win the next 2 national championships. The core of those teams was present on the 1977 team, and the defense only got weaker in the championship years. Could not believe that Notre Dame won the championship that year - Alabama was clearly better.
I remember the 1978 Sugar Bowl like it was played yesterday. I don't agree that Coach Bryant took it easy on us, but we never had a chance in that game. 35-6 adequately describes the disparity in talent.
I remember the 1978 Sugar Bowl like it was played yesterday. I don't agree that Coach Bryant took it easy on us, but we never had a chance in that game. 35-6 adequately describes the disparity in talent.
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I'd go with 78 because of their schedule but the 75 team never gets much credit, I guess because they lost so badly to Mizzou in the first game. However, after allowing 20 points in that game they only allowed 52 more for a 6 points per game average.
Really hard to rate the Greatest Team of the Greatest Decade, I am yet to decide like some others.
1973 was our most prolific offense ever. 1977 has a super case as a non-NC winner as well
1973 was our most prolific offense ever. 1977 has a super case as a non-NC winner as well
I chose the '79 squad over 1977 . '77 was great , but there's no way to erase those 5 interceptions tossed against Nebraska . That said , my reasoning pretty much comes down to passing defense . If a team had to pass , they were all but done . There were more sacks and interceptions per attempt against that unit than in any other season . In fact , purely against the pass , from a statistical standpoint , '79 and '92 dust every other Alabama defense from the 70's through the present (per attempt) .
I thought 73 was the best team in Tide History until the one point loss in the Sugar to ND. Still, I think they were our best team of the 70's. And don't forget, they did win the national title, if only the UPI one.
Loved that team, TJ, but it was weak on the defensive line and in the defensive backfield, two shortcomings that got us beat in New Orleans.
A healthy Gary Rutledge, I still contend, was the best wishbone quarterback we've ever had.
The speed with which we played in that game was astounding. No offense, BIG, but after our two first possessions, I knew it would be a rout.
The 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1978 teams played VERY tough schedules.
We'll toss out 1970 and 1976 right off the bat.
1971 - absolutely smashed ten-win Ole Miss and whipped ten-win Tennessee. Other than the opener at USC and the win AT 9-3 LSU (both by 7 points) and 9-win Houston (14), this team did not play a single regular season game that ended closer than 16 points. They won their first four post-USC games by an AVERAGE of THIRTY-SIX points. The drilled undefeated Auburn - with Heisman winner Pat Sullivan - by 24 points.
This would be the easy winner.
Well........but then there was a certain bowl game against Nebraska.....
1972 - Tore through the schedule to a 10-0 record with only one close game - the sensational comeback against Tennessee (for those who don't know, we trailed 10-3 for 58 minutes, tied it, then forced a quick turnover and got a quick TD).
But nobody remembers it. Other than the final score was further apart, this year was a LOT like 2013.
Mention 1972 and everyone remembers the Iron Bowl. It's sad because that team deserves better.
1973 - not a single close game, only Tennessee exceeded 14 points until the Sugar Bowl.
Schedule slightly softer - but that's because Auburn (who was 10-0 in 71 and 9-1 in 72) was 6-6 and Ole Miss rotated off the schedule. It wasn't anything we did, as we played Cal, Va Tech (no good then), and Miami.
The other teams did not play overly challenging schedules. We would lose to the one team we should beat.
1974 - not quite as dominant, lost to Notre Dame, trailed for 59 minutes before making it close
1975 - didn't play a single regular season foe with over seven wins and those two were Vandy and USM. Lost to 6-5 Mizzou, rule them out.
1977 - a pretty good team but not an overly taxing schedule.
Looking it over, I think 1978 wins it in a close one for the following reasons:
1) It won the national championship (always important).
2) It won the SEC championship, the seventh in the decade
3) The schedule was nothing short of grueling. Here was September
Nebraska at home
Mizzou on the road (went 8-4 and won the Tangerine Bowl, Kellen Winslow on this team)
USC at home (LOST)
Vandy at home (finally a breather)
Washington on the road (7-4)
Also, MSU was a 6-5 team that year (they were pretty good from 1973-1981) and LSU was 6-1 and ranked number ten when we played them and blew them out on ABC at home.
We then - for some reason - had TWO WEEKS in a row off and then beat a pretty good Auburn team.
And then we beat number one Penn State.
This decade is more difficult than some, but I go with 1978. While the 1979 team was the sole unbeaten through the year, it also played BY FAR the easiest schedule of the 1970s. Only Baylor, Tennessee, LSU and Auburn had winning records - and LSU won only 7 games yet we only beat them 3-0. Yes, we beat Arkansas, but they weren't very good for a 10-2 team.
So I go with 1978.
We'll toss out 1970 and 1976 right off the bat.
1971 - absolutely smashed ten-win Ole Miss and whipped ten-win Tennessee. Other than the opener at USC and the win AT 9-3 LSU (both by 7 points) and 9-win Houston (14), this team did not play a single regular season game that ended closer than 16 points. They won their first four post-USC games by an AVERAGE of THIRTY-SIX points. The drilled undefeated Auburn - with Heisman winner Pat Sullivan - by 24 points.
This would be the easy winner.
Well........but then there was a certain bowl game against Nebraska.....
1972 - Tore through the schedule to a 10-0 record with only one close game - the sensational comeback against Tennessee (for those who don't know, we trailed 10-3 for 58 minutes, tied it, then forced a quick turnover and got a quick TD).
But nobody remembers it. Other than the final score was further apart, this year was a LOT like 2013.
Mention 1972 and everyone remembers the Iron Bowl. It's sad because that team deserves better.
1973 - not a single close game, only Tennessee exceeded 14 points until the Sugar Bowl.
Schedule slightly softer - but that's because Auburn (who was 10-0 in 71 and 9-1 in 72) was 6-6 and Ole Miss rotated off the schedule. It wasn't anything we did, as we played Cal, Va Tech (no good then), and Miami.
The other teams did not play overly challenging schedules. We would lose to the one team we should beat.
1974 - not quite as dominant, lost to Notre Dame, trailed for 59 minutes before making it close
1975 - didn't play a single regular season foe with over seven wins and those two were Vandy and USM. Lost to 6-5 Mizzou, rule them out.
1977 - a pretty good team but not an overly taxing schedule.
Looking it over, I think 1978 wins it in a close one for the following reasons:
1) It won the national championship (always important).
2) It won the SEC championship, the seventh in the decade
3) The schedule was nothing short of grueling. Here was September
Nebraska at home
Mizzou on the road (went 8-4 and won the Tangerine Bowl, Kellen Winslow on this team)
USC at home (LOST)
Vandy at home (finally a breather)
Washington on the road (7-4)
Also, MSU was a 6-5 team that year (they were pretty good from 1973-1981) and LSU was 6-1 and ranked number ten when we played them and blew them out on ABC at home.
We then - for some reason - had TWO WEEKS in a row off and then beat a pretty good Auburn team.
And then we beat number one Penn State.
This decade is more difficult than some, but I go with 1978. While the 1979 team was the sole unbeaten through the year, it also played BY FAR the easiest schedule of the 1970s. Only Baylor, Tennessee, LSU and Auburn had winning records - and LSU won only 7 games yet we only beat them 3-0. Yes, we beat Arkansas, but they weren't very good for a 10-2 team.
So I go with 1978.
Excellent stuff.
I agree 1972 gets kinda lost due to another aub voodoo job.
I think 71 gets less consideration due to the bowl loss, but nebraska 71 was one of the best teams in College Football History.
I would go with 78, but the fact we lost at home to USC stops me for now. Student Body right killed us, and USC looked like the better team that day.
I am still debating on my vote.
BTW - I miss home and home against the traditional powers
I think that tells you how incredibly awesome the 1971 Nebraska team was - that it blasted that Tide team.
Because that was an EXCELLENT Alabama team. Those Cornhuskers were just that much better.
Funny how the highs are never as high as the lows are low.
Because that was an EXCELLENT Alabama team. Those Cornhuskers were just that much better.
Funny how the highs are never as high as the lows are low.
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