Link: Ranking CNS BAMA teams ...

selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
36,432
29,735
287
54
Well, I agree that Clemson was good and worthy. I do absolutely think there is a family resemblance between complaining about Kiffin and complaining Colt got hurt. I mean, I get the difference but the key point is both are excuses. We are just going to have to deal with the results; not excuses. In that, yes, they are the same.

If the argument is "if Lane Kiffin hadn't been our OC" (apples) with "if Colt hadn't gotten hurt" (apples) I agree with you.


But the Kiffin argument while somewhat related (still a fruit) is more of "Kiffin was a distraction the team overcame, a guy who contributed to the loss by not doing his job and by it becoming necessary to remove him BECAUSE he was a distraction" reason.

If a fan is saying "if Kiffin hadn't X" then maybe - but I think what's being said is that Kiffin helped contribute in a major way to the loss but was by no means the SOLE reason for it.

It's fair to ask how much credit Kiffin deserves anyway, given that we were ahead with two minutes left despite everything.
 

RTR91

Super Moderator
Nov 23, 2007
39,407
6
0
Prattville
Rankings of offenses Alabama played


5 W Kentucky (1)
12 Clemson (14)
20 USC (36)
24 ATM (34)
26 Ole Miss (42)
32 Washington (8)
40 Tennessee (24)
44 Miss St (56)
Auburn (49)

Over 1/2 the schedule was in the top 45 in ypg. The parenthesis is the ranking by POINTS per game.

Either way you slice it, we played eight of the top 49 offenses in college football in a 15-game schedule, nine if one includes just the yards MSU ran up. And Arky and UK were 57 and 58, still in the top 1/2.


Then keep this in mind: since the SEC had four of the seven best defenses in the country that will by definition LOWER the offensive PPG (just as the offenses will RAISE the defensive one).
Looking at the 9 offenses in the top 50, Alabama held each - on average - 199.29 ypg below their average in games not played against Alabama. So just imagine how much higher some of those teams would be.

The number in parenthesis is the difference between YPG average including Alabama and the YPG average excluding Alabama:

W Kentucky (-21.9)Clemson (+0.6)USC (-23.5)ATM (-15.8)Ole Miss (5.2)Washington (-20.3)Tennessee (-23.3)

Auburn (-21.5)Miss St (-13.9)
 

bamacpa

All-American
Jul 19, 2006
4,783
1,073
182
I like numbers, but they don't always tell the full story. Based on those rankings, Western Ky had the best offense we faced. USC changed QBs after we played them and had great success with Darnold, Tennessee was lead by Josh Dobbs who was a great student and great kid but sub par QB, and Auburn started Jeremy Johnson against us because of injuries and had that big RB hampered as well because of injuries. Flip side is that our defensive performance against Ole Miss suffered because of numerous injuries during that game. 2016 was a very good defense and rushed the passer better than any Saban team at Bama, but it's my opinion we only faced three good passing QBs last year. Going back to the original post and premise, I think AJ and Coop would have a big day against the 2016 secondary, although he'd have to throw a bunch away because of the rush. It would be a fun matchup to watch.
 

81usaf92

TideFans Legend
Apr 26, 2008
35,306
31,375
187
South Alabama
I like numbers, but they don't always tell the full story. Based on those rankings, Western Ky had the best offense we faced. USC changed QBs after we played them and had great success with Darnold, Tennessee was lead by Josh Dobbs who was a great student and great kid but sub par QB, and Auburn started Jeremy Johnson against us because of injuries and had that big RB hampered as well because of injuries. Flip side is that our defensive performance against Ole Miss suffered because of numerous injuries during that game. 2016 was a very good defense and rushed the passer better than any Saban team at Bama, but it's my opinion we only faced three good passing QBs last year. Going back to the original post and premise, I think AJ and Coop would have a big day against the 2016 secondary, although he'd have to throw a bunch away because of the rush. It would be a fun matchup to watch.
AJ would've been destroyed by that defense. He was not a scrambler. Coker and Sims with Cooper you may have an argument, but AJ not unless he has the 2012 line with EL
 

RTR91

Super Moderator
Nov 23, 2007
39,407
6
0
Prattville
I like numbers, but they don't always tell the full story. Based on those rankings, Western Ky had the best offense we faced. USC changed QBs after we played them and had great success with Darnold, Tennessee was lead by Josh Dobbs who was a great student and great kid but sub par QB, and Auburn started Jeremy Johnson against us because of injuries and had that big RB hampered as well because of injuries. Flip side is that our defensive performance against Ole Miss suffered because of numerous injuries during that game. 2016 was a very good defense and rushed the passer better than any Saban team at Bama, but it's my opinion we only faced three good passing QBs last year. Going back to the original post and premise, I think AJ and Coop would have a big day against the 2016 secondary, although he'd have to throw a bunch away because of the rush. It would be a fun matchup to watch.
So you want to solely look at the QBs? Alabama faced six QBs ranked in the top 30 in passing efficiency.

And WKU did have one of the best offenses in the nation. Mike White is a solid QB, and that offense gave plenty of team fits.
 

selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
36,432
29,735
287
54
I like numbers, but they don't always tell the full story.
That's correct. Statistics are a lens through which we view things. That lens may or may not be fully accurate. Just because Cy Young won 511 games doesn't mean he was a better pitcher than Greg Maddux.


Based on those rankings, Western Ky had the best offense we faced. USC changed QBs after we played them and had great success with Darnold, Tennessee was lead by Josh Dobbs who was a great student and great kid but sub par QB, and Auburn started Jeremy Johnson against us because of injuries and had that big RB hampered as well because of injuries.
None of this is relevant to the prior claim that we didn't face many good offenses. Let's drop WKU, because let's face it: their numbers are inflated by the schedule. I'll concur with that. It's like when Texas had the second best rushing defense in the country in 2009 - sure they did, because they played in a passing conference.

But none of the other teams can be so easily dismissed as WKU. We didn't face Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or John Elway, but then again neither did anyone else.

Flip side is that our defensive performance against Ole Miss suffered because of numerous injuries during that game. 2016 was a very good defense and rushed the passer better than any Saban team at Bama, but it's my opinion we only faced three good passing QBs last year.
That's an entirely different argument than......

I think the 2016 defensive stats were helped a bit by the lack of quality offenses on the schedule. That D was very, very good but did not face many quality QBs.
A team can have a decent offense in college football without a quality QB. All the QB has to do is not screw up.

One could also argue that the Auburn QB injuries were offset by Eddie Jackson being out for the season, too.
 

Latest threads

TideFans.shop : 2024 Madness!

TideFans.shop - Get YOUR Bama Gear HERE!”></a>
<br />

<!--/ END TideFans.shop & item link \-->
<p style= Purchases made through our TideFans.shop and Amazon.com links may result in a commission being paid to TideFans.