What was the best team ever Alabama played?

BamaJama17

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Well considering Alabama has been playing football for over 125 years it’s hard to say just one. There have been many for the different eras Alabama has played in.

1916 Georgia Tech- The same team that scored 222 points in a game.

1925 Washington

1938/39 Tennessee

1957 Auburn

1958 LSU

1971 Nebraska

1973 Notre Dame

1986 Penn State

1996 Florida

1998 Tennessee

2003 Oklahoma

2004 Auburn

2006 Florida

2007 LSU

2008 Florida

2009 Florida- A win over Alabama and they are probably the GOAT team.

2009 Texas- See above

2011 LSU- See above

2012 Texas A&M- had second best offensive line and Mike Evans. Had they still been in the Big 12 they may have gone undefeated and won the NC.

2014 Ohio State

2015/2016 Clemson
 
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ecraj

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Before my Dad passed away a few years ago I heard him say several times, I sure would like to see this Bama team play '71 Nebraska.
 

GrayTide

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You have to differentiate between the best team and the worst beating an Alabama team took. A not so great Missouri team (6-5 and 3-4 in the Big Eight conference)beat the snot out of Alabama in the season opener in 1975 at Legion Field 20-7 Alabama was preseason #2, but James Wilder ran all over our defense that night we had no answer.
 

jabcmb

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Feb 1, 2006
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I hope you two realize that that USC squad went 6-4-1 that year...best mediocre team Alabama ever played/lost against???
I did remember they lost some games, although I am a little fuzzy on what I did yesterday, and probably couldn’t match up all my grandchildren with right names. But my opinion, based on what I saw, is that 1970 SCal is the best team Bama ever played.
 

jabcmb

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You have to differentiate between the best team and the worst beating an Alabama team took. A not so great Missouri team (6-5 and 3-4 in the Big Eight conference)beat the snot out of Alabama in the season opener in 1975 at Legion Field 20-7 Alabama was preseason #2, but James Wilder ran all over our defense that night we had no answer.
Tony Galbreath. I agree with your point.
 

Probius

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Mar 19, 2004
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Well considering Alabama has been playing football for over 125 years it’s hard to say just one. There have been many for the different eras Alabama has played in.

1916 Georgia Tech- The same team that scored 222 points in a game.

1925 Washington

1938/39 Tennessee

1957 Auburn

1958 LSU

1971 Nebraska

1973 Notre Dame

1986 Penn State

1996 Florida

1998 Tennessee

2003 Oklahoma

2004 Auburn

2006 Florida

2007 LSU

2008 Florida

2009 Florida- A win over Alabama and they are probably the GOAT team.

2009 Texas- See above

2011 LSU- See above

2012 Texas A&M- had second best offensive line and Mike Evans. Had they still been in the Big 12 they may have gone undefeated and won the NC.

2014 Ohio State

2015/2016 Clemson
If you are going to include 2003 OU, then 2003 LSU should be on the list too. LSU was better than OU that season. We got to see both of those teams in Bryant-Denny, and LSU looked like the better team. LSU then beat OU for the national title later that season.
 

Cowtown Bama

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Aug 29, 2007
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2008 Utah. 13-0. They jumped out 21-0 and took Bama completely out of their game plan. They also beat Oregon State who had beaten a good USC team when they were still really good. Most underrated for sure.
 

CoachInWaiting

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Nov 27, 2017
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1971 Nebraska was the best I ever saw. There certainly could have been others before my time, but I haven't seen a better team since then that wasn't Alabama. Alabama was very good in 1971. One of Coach Bryant's better teams. Probably as good as his '64 and '65 NC teams, close to the '66 team, and maybe a little behind '61. But Nebraska (and Oklahoma, but Alabama didn't play them) in 1971 was so much better than the rest it was a bit like comparing today's SEC to the FCS. They were on a different level.
 

Tidetwin

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May 15, 2006
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I have to go with 1970 Southern Cal. I dont know how many of the stories are true surrounding that game, but they dominated at Legion Field that night 42-21.
That 1970 USC team that came to Legion Field opened a lot of eyes. Especially those of one Paul "Bear" Bryant.
 

CoachInWaiting

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Nov 27, 2017
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Originally Posted by jabcmb

I have to go with 1970 Southern Cal. I dont know how many of the stories are true surrounding that game, but they dominated at Legion Field that night 42-21.

That 1970 USC team that came to Legion Field opened a lot of eyes. Especially those of one Paul "Bear" Bryant.
That 1970 USC team dominated a 6-5-1 Bama squad that got housed by Ole Miss and shut out by Tennessee 24-0.
 

jabcmb

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Feb 1, 2006
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Originally Posted by jabcmb

I have to go with 1970 Southern Cal. I dont know how many of the stories are true surrounding that game, but they dominated at Legion Field that night 42-21.



That 1970 USC team dominated a 6-5-1 Bama squad that got housed by Ole Miss and shut out by Tennessee 24-0.
Props to 71 Nebraska but 4 loss 70 USC was the best I’ve seen.

Aside: After back to back 5 loss seasons, “Bama’s Back” stickers flooded the UA campus as Bama went undefeated through the 1971 season. After the Nebraska beatdown, another sticker appeared below each one: “from the Orange Bowl!”
It was a tough loss. Auburn took a beating from Oklahoma that day, too. So there was that.
 

BamaJama17

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If you are going to include 2003 OU, then 2003 LSU should be on the list too. LSU was better than OU that season. We got to see both of those teams in Bryant-Denny, and LSU looked like the better team. LSU then beat OU for the national title later that season.
Yes I forgot but I agree.
 

bamaga

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Apr 29, 2002
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Originally Posted by jabcmb

I have to go with 1970 Southern Cal. I dont know how many of the stories are true surrounding that game, but they dominated at Legion Field that night 42-21.



That 1970 USC team dominated a 6-5-1 Bama squad that got housed by Ole Miss and shut out by Tennessee 24-0.
Your opinion, but the 1970 Trojan team finished 7th in the PAC 8 at 6-4-1
 

CoachInWaiting

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Nov 27, 2017
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Your opinion, but the 1970 Trojan team finished 7th in the PAC 8 at 6-4-1
Yeah, I don't get all the love the 1970 Trojans are getting. They made Alabama look bad, but Alabama was mediocre at best that year. The 1972 USC team is in the conversation for the best college team of all time, but they didn't play Alabama. If I had to choose between them and 1971 Nebraska, I'd still go with the Cornhuskers, but to see both of those teams on the field together would have been a spectacle. It might be the only match-up better than the 1971 Nebraska-Oklahoma game.
 

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