Up through the Schembechler years, I’d call them elite, even though they didn’t win a ton of NCs. That’s because they were usually in the hunt, and a consistent Top 5 to Top 10 team.
Since then, though, they’ve been cruising on past glories, and the reputation is way out of line with the on-field performance.
And yes, their fans are an arrogant bunch. Ran into several at the Dallas kickoff game. They were guests in the Alabama Alumni tent (you read that right), and were yapping and most condescending.
One asked me what I thought about Denzel Robinson. I said that I thought he would make a couple of big plays, but would be surprised if he were able to move the ball with consistency.
My UM acquaintance said, “That’s so cliche....don’t you have something better than that?” I maintained my position in logical terms, and he walked off, literally shaking his head.
Of course, the game worked out exactly as I expected, and the mouthy jerk was nowhere to be found.
So yeah, I don’t like it when somebody takes full advantage of my hospitality, then gives me the figurative moon for my trouble.