National relevance doesn't appear or disappear in two years, or even a decade. If that was the case, no one would care any more about Notre Dame's most recent coaching situation than they would a coaching situation at Ohio or Wake Forest.
School reputations are built up over multiple decades and take equally as long to go away. We'll still be talking about Notre Dame when my kids have kids, whether Notre Dame wins another national title or not. We might not be talking about them as champions, but we'll be talking about them.
Same thing with Alabama. If Alabama is so irrelevant, then explain why every time Alabama makes a move -- Franchione, Price, Shula -- it's all over ESPN and in every media outlet for days.
It's one thing to say Alabama hasn't been competitive nationally. It's another to say Alabama is irrelevant. And it's not like Alabama is dying in the eyes of high school prospects -- despite all the Tide's problems, the school just recorded it's second consecutive top-15 recruiting class. That's not the sign of a dying program.
Cowherd's sidekick, the guy they call "Moral Compass," is a partisan Auburn fan. I'm sure that has nothing to do with what Cowherd chooses to cover, however. As for Cowherd, he's a self-admitted pot stirrer, and some of his more (in)famous prior positions have included talking about how no baseball player prior to the 1940s/1950s could compete in today's game. He spent a lot of time talking about the physical differences of the players, yet didn't figure in advancements in baseball equipment or weight training.
Summary: He's good for entertainment, but like 90 percent of all radio show guys, doesn't have the requisite sports knowledge to be considered an actual authority.
