How many national championships could Saban have had?

[CoreGroup]

Specifically I'm talking about at Bama. It's really hard to fathom that he has three already and probably had a shot at least 2 more.

2008 one qtr from playing for it all. Would have played Oklahoma but still would have been without Andre.
2009 won it
2010 had a really great team, loaded with talent but injuries and possibly focus cost us.
2011 won it
2012 won it
2013 came within a illegal lineman and a bad decision from playing for it. Would we have beaten fsu?
2014 was just a couple plays from playing for it. Really should have been there, think the play calling in the osu game cost us. I think the osu game was the NC game. If Bama had gotten by them we'd have won vs Oregon.

Thoughts?

 

[RTR91]

Nick Saban himself told Paul Finebaum this:

We haven't finished the season in the last two seasons like we'd like. People talk about you won four national championships. Well, I feel like we've had good enough teams to win eight. So I feel like we failed four times. I feel like I failed four times.

 

[JBama_in_PCOLA]

8 seems like a good number.


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[tide96]

Nick Saban himself told Paul Finebaum this:

We haven't finished the season in the last two seasons like we'd like. People talk about you won four national championships. Well, I feel like we've had good enough teams to win eight. So I feel like we failed four times. I feel like I failed four times.

Note, the quote includes his time at LSU. But I would assume he is saying he had good enough teams to win from 2008-present, plus 2003.

 

[CB4]

"Could" is the optimal word. We could have won all of those. Should? Well, probably not.

2008 - A break here or there, and yeah it could have happened. But give the Gators credit. Probably they were the more deserving champion.

2010 - I don't think there was much of chance. Injuries and turnovers in key games cost us. And, quite frankly, the "stars aligned" when the Barn stumbled upon a "once in a life time " player and had about every fortunate break go their way (even NCAA rulings).

2013 - It is a "should" have. We played "down" to the Barn, left too many points on the field. And if we do win, I think we do roll on to beat FSU.

2014 - Probably not. Our pass defense was too suspect. Ohio State used our M.O. . They were the team on "the improve" the last third of the season. And at the end, that improvement and momentum carried them on. If we did happen to beat them, however, I do believe we would have beaten either FSU or Oregon. Alabama-OSU was "the de facto" National Championship game.

So for me, I have one "should have" (2013) and one "strong maybe" (2014). I will say this about 2010. All you had to do was watch the bowl game against Michigan State to realize the potential that team had. But potential is what you make of it. We never fully "jelled" until then. But, remember as well that it was the catalyst for the Championship teams of 2011 and 2012.

 

[bamafan_bdb]

The key point is the talent to win it all, which CNS puts at around 8 teams. But, if you take him at his word on the enormous difficulties of fighting complacency with players who have won it before, such what-if exercises are almost inherently impossible from the start. If we win the 2010 title, are we so complacent that we win neither the 2011 or 2012 title? Or, if we win in 2013, are we even close in 2014? Complacency isn't the only factor, but CNS thinks it matters a great deal. Interesting but maddening discussion!