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When is the last time you've seen a NCAA Football team have four straight shutouts?

jashleyren2

jashleyren2

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Re: When is the last time you seen a College Football team have four straight shutout

Tenntiderman said:
1966. Shut out the last 4 teams they played. Played Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl and only allowed them 7 points. Earlier in the season...they shut out 2 other opponents.
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66 Bama: greatest of all time.
 
jashleyren2

jashleyren2

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Re: When is the last time you seen a College Football team have four straight shutout

rgw said:
I think Citadel gets a score due to a mistake on an option or depth clearing late but Auburn might struggle. Truly think we're heading towards our payback on the "honk if you sacked brodie" game
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Q. Williams will be leaning on car horns for weeks after the Iron Bowl.
 
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UAH

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Re: When is the last time you seen a College Football team have four straight shutout

B1GTide said:
I think that his point was that the sport did not allow for a huge number of great athletes to participate. Once that participation was allowed, the play improved across the board. This meant that offenses and defenses improved - the game began to change. I did not take his comment to be a criticism of those schools which had not yet integrated.
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There are a number of people here who know better than I, but the first game I attended was Alabama vs. Richmond in 1961. There are a number of pictures of that game imprinted in my memory. One of them is that there were a small number of African Americans seated in a small segregated wooden seating section near the corner of the far end zone. My main thought looking back was my profound ignorance of the fact that we in the south had two separate and very unequal societies.

Forward to today one could say that one of the most positive developments has been the emergence of African American athletes throughout the US but particularly in the Southeast. The love of college football is shared across our society and anyone now can aspire to attend, play, coach and be a fan of the games we play. That is one of the very hopeful things in our society today I think. There remains however, some of the remnants of our segregated past and social structure even on college campuses.
 
B1GTide

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Re: When is the last time you seen a College Football team have four straight shutout

UAH said:
There are a number of people here who know better than I, but the first game I attended was Alabama vs. Richmond in 1961. There are a number of pictures of that game imprinted in my memory. One of them is that there were a small number of African Americans seated in a small segregated wooden seating section near the corner of the far end zone. My main thought looking back was my profound ignorance of the fact that we in the south had two separate and very unequal societies.

Forward to today one could say that one of the most positive developments has been the emergence of African American athletes throughout the US but particularly in the Southeast. The love of college football is shared across our society and anyone now can aspire to attend, play, coach and be a fan of the games we play. That is one of the very hopeful things in our society today I think. There remains however, some of the remnants of our segregated past and social structure even on college campuses.
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To be fair, this exists across America (and the world). Spending most of my life in the Midwest, it is certainly still a problem here. The biggest reason, IMO, is the lack of social interaction. Because of my family ties to football, we have many black friends. They come to our home, and we go to theirs. But I have come to understand that this is pretty rare. People work together daily and respect one another professionally, but the races largely remain divided once everyone goes home.

So, while all races interact throughout the world, by and large we really have not bonded at a personal level. It is far easier to see someone as "different" when we don't know them to be the same, and how can we know them to be the same if we do not know them?
 
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UAH

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selmaborntidefan said:
I'm gonna say this once for some of you haven't been here near so long and have decided to take umbrage over something ridiculous.

And I will only say it once.


The QUALITY of football player is SUBSTANTIALLY better now than in 1961. And spare me the phony, "You're one of these young dudes saying those guys weren't any good," which only someone who just buzzed in from another world could actually believe about me, particularly since I'm a white dude myself.


It is MUCH MORE DIFFICULT to shut teams out nowadays. MUCH more than in 1961. Or 1966. Or for that matter 1979.

1) Kicking - notwithstanding some of what we've seen at UA - has become a specialty.

Teams simply did not routinely make 50-yard field goals in 1961. If a kicker's percentage was above 60% in 1966 that was FABULOUS.
You didn't see very many attempts from beyond 40 yards back then simply because it was high risk.

2) The fact of it is that those shutouts were run up against inferior competition compared to today.

I'm by no means saying, "Oh it was so easy" because if it was then it would have been even more common. But the fact is that football back then was a mostly regional game featuring virtually all white teams in the South (and other places as well).

And don't even bring in those red herrings about Penn State and 1969 or Michigan State and 1966. Anyone doing this is being so pretentious that quite frankly you don't even deserve a response - either because you're trolling or you're just NOT getting it.

3) Fumbles back in the day COULD NOT BE ADVANCED.

This is another issue. A defense can play a flawless game only to see the other team's defense return a fumble for a TD. Part of the reason teams went away from the wishbone was because it was a high risk/high reward offense with MANY fumbles. Once those fumbles were no longer spot recovery, the potential disaster was too much. Yes, I know there were OTHER reasons for mostly abandoning it, but that's a major one right there.

4) The passing game didn't evolve until the late 1970s.

Some of the types of blocks offensive lineman are able to do NOW were illegal back then. The AFL was primarily responsible for the NFL realizing they'd better do something about their boring game (along with Super Bowl VIII putting everyone to sleep). And please spare me the "you're saying Joe Namath wasn't any good" nonsense, too.


Consider the 2011 Alabama defense, the finest college defense I ever saw play.

Auburn scored 14 points us against in the 2011 Iron Bowl.

Our defense held them to NINE first downs and 140 total yards and forced two turnovers yet Auburn scored 14 points.

How? AJ fumbled the ball in his own end zone that was recovered for a TD and McCaleb returned a kickoff for a touchdown.


The DEFENSE did not surrender a single point that day and barely gave up any yards.



So again - NOBODY is saying it wasn't a good accomplishment, but it has to be viewed in context. Cy Young may have won 511 games, and he may have the trophy named after him.......but he wasn't even close to the greatest pitcher of all-time. Indeed, a case can be made for Warren Spahn or Greg Maddux or even Roger Clemens as FAR better than Cy Young.

Coach Bryant won six national championships and Coach Saban has also won six. But Saban's is the FAR greater accomplishment, not because Saban is modern or anything but because it is substantially harder to win them now. It's no longer a pre-bowl vote (which gave Bryant three of his six titles). And Saban - unlike Bryant save for 1978 - has had to go onto the field in essentially a winner-take-all game against the OTHER team presumed to be the best.

Just like the all-white game - it was NOT Bryant's fault those were the rules, but it is also the contextual reality.

(And don't even try the "you're saying Coach Bryant was no good" nonsense in light of the fact I have a picture of the man on my wall that has been there for over 30 years now).
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As an addendum to that I saw the 66 team play five games including several on TV. I only recall watching the 61 team play three games. There were some great athletes on both of those teams but in my opinion they could not have hoped to compete against Coach Bryant's teams of the 70s. The speed, size and strength of the teams had changed that dramatically. I would also point out that teams like South Carolina, Clemson and others were not competitive teams to the SEC in the 60's.
 
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teamplayer

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There is something special about the shutout to me. It is that feeling of looking at the scoreboard and seeing that big zero for your opponent. Yes, there is some luck involved at times, but there is a lot more skill and great execution than luck.
 
twofbyc

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teamplayer said:
There is something special about the shutout to me. It is that feeling of looking at the scoreboard and seeing that big zero for your opponent. Yes, there is some luck involved at times, but there is a lot more skill and great execution than luck.
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Like when LSU never crossed the 50 yard line? [emoji41]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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BamaInBham

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In terms of the improvement in the offense, the skill level in the passing game is other worldly compared to the 50s-90s and is even significantly better than it was just 10 years ago. I guess this is due to the focus on the passing game in HS and 7 on 7 competitions. There are catches made 3 times a game that would have been made once a year 30 years ago. And while the passes are not as noticeable, they are just as amazing as the catches. A well executed pass and catch is literally impossible to defend. And today's rules which favor the offense and passing game (the other factor making offensive football much better and easier) makes those opportunities for a well executed pass play more frequent.
 
jabcmb

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Re: When is the last time you seen a College Football team have four straight shutout

UAH said:
There are a number of people here who know better than I, but the first game I attended was Alabama vs. Richmond in 1961......
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It was my first game, too. Here we both are on Tidefans, 57 years later. Attendance was 28,000 that day.
 
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saturdaysarebet

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selmaborntidefan said:
I'm gonna say this once for some of you haven't been here near so long and have decided to take umbrage over something ridiculous.

And I will only say it once.


The QUALITY of football player is SUBSTANTIALLY better now than in 1961. And spare me the phony, "You're one of these young dudes saying those guys weren't any good," which only someone who just buzzed in from another world could actually believe about me, particularly since I'm a white dude myself.


It is MUCH MORE DIFFICULT to shut teams out nowadays. MUCH more than in 1961. Or 1966. Or for that matter 1979.

1) Kicking - notwithstanding some of what we've seen at UA - has become a specialty.

Teams simply did not routinely make 50-yard field goals in 1961. If a kicker's percentage was above 60% in 1966 that was FABULOUS.
You didn't see very many attempts from beyond 40 yards back then simply because it was high risk.

2) The fact of it is that those shutouts were run up against inferior competition compared to today.

I'm by no means saying, "Oh it was so easy" because if it was then it would have been even more common. But the fact is that football back then was a mostly regional game featuring virtually all white teams in the South (and other places as well).

And don't even bring in those red herrings about Penn State and 1969 or Michigan State and 1966. Anyone doing this is being so pretentious that quite frankly you don't even deserve a response - either because you're trolling or you're just NOT getting it.

3) Fumbles back in the day COULD NOT BE ADVANCED.

This is another issue. A defense can play a flawless game only to see the other team's defense return a fumble for a TD. Part of the reason teams went away from the wishbone was because it was a high risk/high reward offense with MANY fumbles. Once those fumbles were no longer spot recovery, the potential disaster was too much. Yes, I know there were OTHER reasons for mostly abandoning it, but that's a major one right there.

4) The passing game didn't evolve until the late 1970s.

Some of the types of blocks offensive lineman are able to do NOW were illegal back then. The AFL was primarily responsible for the NFL realizing they'd better do something about their boring game (along with Super Bowl VIII putting everyone to sleep). And please spare me the "you're saying Joe Namath wasn't any good" nonsense, too.


Consider the 2011 Alabama defense, the finest college defense I ever saw play.

Auburn scored 14 points us against in the 2011 Iron Bowl.

Our defense held them to NINE first downs and 140 total yards and forced two turnovers yet Auburn scored 14 points.

How? AJ fumbled the ball in his own end zone that was recovered for a TD and McCaleb returned a kickoff for a touchdown.


The DEFENSE did not surrender a single point that day and barely gave up any yards.



So again - NOBODY is saying it wasn't a good accomplishment, but it has to be viewed in context. Cy Young may have won 511 games, and he may have the trophy named after him.......but he wasn't even close to the greatest pitcher of all-time. Indeed, a case can be made for Warren Spahn or Greg Maddux or even Roger Clemens as FAR better than Cy Young.

Coach Bryant won six national championships and Coach Saban has also won six. But Saban's is the FAR greater accomplishment, not because Saban is modern or anything but because it is substantially harder to win them now. It's no longer a pre-bowl vote (which gave Bryant three of his six titles). And Saban - unlike Bryant save for 1978 - has had to go onto the field in essentially a winner-take-all game against the OTHER team presumed to be the best.

Just like the all-white game - it was NOT Bryant's fault those were the rules, but it is also the contextual reality.

(And don't even try the "you're saying Coach Bryant was no good" nonsense in light of the fact I have a picture of the man on my wall that has been there for over 30 years now).
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Perhaps, but in Bear's day with polls and bowl affiliations, Alabama would have not won a national championship last year Selmab, they didn't even win their division in the SEC. Back before the playoff was instituted, they would have been in a New Year's Day bowl game and not a playoff for the national title.

Now, it's been proven by Alabama and Ohio State that you don't even have to win your DIVISION, let alone your conference, and you can be in the college football playoff giving you a chance to win the national championship. You just have to be believed to be in the top four in the country. Before with bowl affiliations, you couldn't prove you were the best team on the field, point in fact, 1966 for example. As you pointed out in your write-up of 1977 as well. Alabama may well have been the best team in the country, yet was leapfrogged in the polls on New Year's Day by Notre Dame.

Because of bowl affiliations and politics you couldn't always prove you were the best team in the country even though you may well have been, I think it's easier today to win a national championship. The path is easier as you just have to finish in the top four in the country and you don't have to win your conference title, play in the conference game, or even win your division. That's been proven.

https://johnbaranowski.wordpress.co...e-won-if-he-had-the-college-football-playoff/
 
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selmaborntidefan

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saturdaysarebet said:
Perhaps, but in Bear's day with polls and bowl affiliations, Alabama would have not won a national championship last year Selmab, they didn't even win their division in the SEC.
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Minnesota won the 1936 national championship and not only did they not win the Big Ten, they lost head-to-head to Northwestern who had the EXACT SAME RECORD.......so how in the world did Minnesota win the title and Northwestern finish SEVENTH????

And the comparison is rather flawed because there were no divisions in the SEC back then.


saturdaysarebet said:
Back before the playoff was instituted, they would have been in a New Year's Day bowl game and not a playoff for the national title.
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And prior to 1974 - except for 1965 - that New Year's Day bowl game didn't matter anyway (which was sort of my point).


saturdaysarebet said:
Now, it's been proven by Alabama and Ohio State that you don't even have to win your DIVISION, let alone your conference, and you can be in the college football playoff giving you a chance to win the national championship. You just have to be believed to be in the top four in the country.
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Krazy3 and I have had more than our share of dust-ups - years ago anyway - and he's won me to a LOT of his thinking.

The most important thing I think he's ever pointed out is this: the debate was ALWAYS about "the other team," aka team three.

The dispute was NEVER about teams 4-8.

The dispute in 1977 was a rare exception, but the dispute (when there was one) was always about Team 3.

In the BCS era, consider the teams that me and (the team folks thought should be there)

2000 - OU vs FSU (Miami)
2001 - Miami vs Nebraska (Oregon)
2003 - LSU vs OU (USC)
2004 - USC vs OU (Auburn)
2006 - Ohio St vs Florida (Michigan)
2008 - OU vs Florida (Texas)
2011 - Alabama vs LSU (OK St)

In 2004, Utah (with Urban coaching) was unbeaten. But nobody "really" thought they deserved a chance. Nobody "really" thought 1998 Tulane or 2007 Hawaii had any business playing for it all.

TBF - one CAN make the argument that, say, Bryant's 1962, 1966, or 1977 teams WOULD have won a playoff. And I'm a firm believer in college football equilibrium (e.g. you win titles commensurate to who you are.......so even though Colorado was probably the best team in the country in 1989 and NOT in 1990, their 1990 title is about what they are).

So I don't think we can say, "Bryant could never have won six national titles." I'm simply saying it was easier.


saturdaysarebet said:
Before with bowl affiliations, you couldn't prove you were the best team on the field, point in fact, 1966 for example. As you pointed out in your write-up of 1977 as well. Alabama may well have been the best team in the country, yet was leapfrogged in the polls on New Year's Day by Notre Dame.
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That's correct, but the same could be said of Arkansas in 1964, too.

saturdaysarebet said:
Because of bowl affiliations and politics you couldn't always prove you were the best team in the country even though you may well have been, I think it's easier today to win a national championship.
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I'm not following this line of reasoning.

It could easily be argued Alabama FAILED at "proving it" in 1964 and 1973.....but made out like bandits.

Nowadays to win the national title you have to play
a) TWO post-season games (not the one of the days of yore)
b) they COUNT for the title
c) it is pretty much guaranteed to be a powerhouse
d) the bowl game nonsense almost GUARANTEED the two best teams never met

1961 - Alabama did not play Ohio State because of bowl agreements; they were the only two major unbeaten teams, and Ohio State got 20 of 46 first-place votes. We only won that title by 16 points left up to voters. This VERY EASILY could be another one of those "but but but" years

1964 - two unbeatens, and we didn't play Arkansas (we instead faced #5 Texas and lost)

1965 - the ultimate backing in

1973 - we didn't play #2 Oklahoma because, you know, Orange Bowl something something.

1979 - we didn't play #2 Ohio State because, you know, Rose Bowl something something.


saturdaysarebet said:
The path is easier as you just have to finish in the top four in the country and you don't have to win your conference title, play in the conference game, or even win your division. That's been proven.
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You didn't have to do that back then, either.

It was almost always inevitable, but it wasn't a requirem


saturdaysarebet said:
https://johnbaranowski.wordpress.co...e-won-if-he-had-the-college-football-playoff/
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I'm sorry, but he's wrong.

It happened in 1936.
 
tusks_n_raider

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crimsonaudio said:
Uhhh, college football, guys.
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Apologies. Kind of went on a sideways thread drift from talking about unbreakable records. Saw my favorite MLB Pitcher's name mentioned and it brought up some fun nostalgia for a bit.

Meant as a harmless side topic but I understand Football season is more strict w/ thread drift than the off-season.

Again my bad. Didn't mean to get out of hand or anything.
 
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editder

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Back to the original topic, I believe we're more likely to get a shutout against a good team than a weak team. Most of the points scored against us in earlier games against weaker teams were scored on our third team defense. LSU and MSU were good enough that we had to keep our two-deep defensive rotation on the field the entire game. The fact that the defense has stiffened lately helped also. Furthermore, we were able to put up relatively big points early against those teams, making it pointless for them to attempt field goals by about the middle of the third quarter. This helped us to preserve the shutouts.
 
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