If CNS Had Stayed at LSU Would They be Where We Are?

crimsonaudio said:

No, Saban would have left 7SU and would be coaching somewhere else by now - have you seen the 'leadership' they have down there?

Remember, Emmert left the same year Saban did - the leadership CNS thrived under is long gone.

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Yeah and LSU would’ve never gave him the power Alabama has. Skip Bertman wouuldve been the deciding factor on what LSU did in terms of athletic finances. LSU was on their baseball run still so paying the football staff, and facilities were behind the needs of the baseball team. IMO

Bamabuzzard said:

Didn't he get more than a handful of top recruits out of the Mobile area?

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Yes. But controlling Louisiana talent is more imperative to do if you are going to win at LSU than winning the national recruiting game. At Alabama, recruits are pretty much split between us and Auburn, and we have to recruit more nationally than Florida, Texas, and Louisiana. Once Miles lost the stronghold on Louisiana that CNS created they have been inching closer and closer to the Dinardo days.

The point is that the situation for Urban Meyer was changing because CNS was going to go after Florida recruits because CNS needed a national recruiting base added with his instate talent. Had he stayed at LSU then chances are good that Meyer and CNS probably don’t have as many recruiting battles in each other’s backyards.

Everyone has the right to their own opinions, of course. But I do see, just by some of the answers in this thread, why fans of other schools may see Alabama fans as being too arrogant, cocky, etc. I do get the argument that Saban may have improved as a result of his brief NFL stint, and therefore achieved more here as a result of that change. I still, though, see Saban as being the savior of a program that was basically a laughing stock, just as Coach Bryant had done many years before. Call it conjecture if you like, and you are not wrong on that, but I do not see any other way we get there without him right now.

I think had CNS stayed at LSU all the way until now he'd still have 5 or 6 NC's.

2005 - They were 11-2 with a close OT loss to UT and an upset loss to UGA in the SECCG. I don't think CNS loses either game so it might have set up a BCS controversy between undefeated USCw, Texas, and LSU?

2006 - They were 11-2 again with 4 point loss to AU and 13 point loss to FLA. Jamarcus Russell was really good that year and the team was highly talented. Maybe they beat AU and rematch FLA in the SECCG and win to face tOSU instead?

2007 - They 100% win this one and go undefeated.

2008 - They were 8-5 this season and got hammered 3 times so probably not a candidate

2009 - They were 9-3 in the regular season with close losses. Under CNS they probably only lose the UF game but get a rematch in the SECCG at 11-1 with winner again facing Texas.

2010 - They were 11-2 but under CNS probably don't lose to Arky and are 12-1.... but that other loss is to AU who probably still wins the NC that year.

2011 - They 100% win this one and go undefeated.

2012 - They were 10-2 in the regular season with close losses to Bama and Florida. At worst they beat us and are 11-1 and face UGA in the SECCG with the winner facing ND.

2013 - They were 9-3 in the regular season with very close losses to UGA and Ole Miss and a blowout to Bama. Give them the Bama game and 1 of the other two and they are 11-1 and play Mizzou taking AU's place and then go play Crablegs F$U.

After this it starts getting more cloudy because Miles started to fall behind in recruiting where CNS would not have.

But JMHO looking at the above CNS probably would have been right there in the NC picture every year from 2005-2013 except for 2008 and 2010.

So in 9 seasons that's 2 Definite NC's, 5 years of strongly being in the hunt at the end, and 2 down years. I'm betting he wins 2-3 NC's out of those 5 Maybe years and again still is sitting with 5-6 NC's.

I'm so glad that LSU fans probably know all this too and have to live in agony yearly over it....lol

Would they be "where we are" as in 5 titles in 9 years? I highly doubt it.

Would they be the preeminent power in the SEC, one of the elite programs in the nation, and likely have won multiple national champions since 2005? I'd say yes.

I'm not sure he'd have as many titles as he does now, but he'd have at least won at least two more at LSU, probably more. Remember even Les Miles won a title and was on his way to second before Saban derailed that attempt. Does he win 5 more though? I'm not sure, Alabama really has some special attributes that improve the odds a bit. I'd say 3-4 more titles at LSU, which would still be amazing of course.

Part of that is if Alabama landed a decent coach, they'd be a formidable obstacle as well. LSU is good, but they're just not Alabama.

My guess - he would have 3+ championships at LSU, Meyer would still have quit (losing big games to LSU would have been just as painful as losing that game to Alabama), and Dabo would be your head coach right now.

But they would not be the force that Alabama is right now. There are only a few programs in the country where that is possible, even with someone like Saban. LSU is not one of those programs.

Saban + Alabama = Something Special

Great discussion and thread!

My opinion is that CNS, as good as he is (and would have been had he stayed at LSU), would have not equaled the success he's had a Bama.

Would he have 3 or 4 NCs? Probably. But, as has been detailed upthread, his flirtation with the NFL I believe sold CNS that he was a college coach and loved influencing 18-22 year old.

Also, I believe Bama and the shadow of CPB made his better too. Our history and LSU's does not compare.

The most scary thing is this: What if he would have gone back to LSU after Miami???

Yes, they would. He is the greatest program builder in college football history.

Rtr

The NFL itch would have eventually gotten to Saban or even worse 7SU would not have been able to outbid texas.

You guys keep making up your own rules. The question is a good one for off season conversation, but it requires that you actually accept that he decides to stay at LSU.

Alabama with Nick Saban combines the best football school of all time and the best coach so its a perfect storm. He would have done well at LSU but nothing like here. Alabama would have had success but nothing like with Saban.

B1GTide said:

You guys keep making up your own rules. The question is a good one for off season conversation, but it requires that you actually accept that he decides to stay at LSU.

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But the narrative of him leaving and flirting with the NFL and then deciding he's a college coach is part of the answer if you don't believe he would have accomplished quite as much as LSU, as I do.

BamaMoon said:

But the narrative of him leaving and flirting with the NFL and then deciding he's a college coach is part of the answer if you don't believe he would have accomplished quite as much as LSU, as I do.

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I could argue that if he had stayed then he already knew that he was more interested in molding young people than coaching rich people. He didn't learn anything in the NFL except that he really preferred college football.

Probably