When conversations crook to the top assemblage shot programs of each time, everyone has an opinion. Fans statement championships, legendary coaches, iconic players, spot of schedule, and which epoch was the toughest to dominate. It's 1 of those arguments that ne'er genuinely ends.
But up of the Fourth of July weekend, CBS Sports attempted to reply that question successful a unsocial way.
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Rather than ranking the top programs outright, CBS Sports' Chip Patterson identified the azygous top squad of each decennary implicit the past 100 years. It's an intolerable task, and Patterson openly acknowledged that nary database similar this could ever fulfill everyone. Every procreation has its ain legends, and each instrumentality basal believes its epoch deserves much recognition.
Still, 1 happening stood retired much than thing else.
No programme appeared much often than Alabama.
The Crimson Tide earned the favoritism arsenic assemblage football's top programme of the 1930s, the 1960s, and the 2010s, further cementing what Alabama fans person argued for decades: nary schoolhouse has sustained excellence crossed aggregate generations rather similar the Crimson Tide.
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Alabama's dominance didn't statesman with Bear Bryant
For galore assemblage shot fans, Alabama's past starts with Paul "Bear" Bryant. While Bryant unquestionably became the look of the program, Alabama was already establishing itself arsenic a nationalist powerfulness agelong earlier helium ever stepped onto the sidelines successful Tuscaloosa.
CBS Sports recognized Alabama arsenic the squad of the 1930s, a decennary that saw the Crimson Tide station a singular 79-11-5 grounds portion continuing the momentum built during the Wallace Wade era.
After Wade helped present 3 nationalist championships during the precocious 1920s, Frank Thomas took implicit the programme and ne'er allowed Alabama to suffer its spot among assemblage football's elite.
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Thomas guided Alabama to the archetypal SEC title successful league past successful 1933 earlier starring the Crimson Tide to an undefeated nationalist title play successful 1934. That squad was led by legendary receiver Don Hutson, whose revolutionary benignant of play everlastingly changed the passing crippled successful football.
What separated Alabama from the remainder of the decennary wasn't simply 1 title season.
It was consistency.
Throughout the full 1930s, Alabama seldom took a measurement backward, suffering much than 2 losses successful a play lone once. That sustained excellence was capable for CBS Sports to spot the Crimson Tide up of powerhouse programs similar USC and Tennessee.
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Bear Bryant turned Alabama into the golden standard
If the 1930s established Alabama nationally, the 1960s transformed the Crimson Tide into the sport's measuring stick.
Few coaches person ever impacted assemblage shot the mode Bear Bryant did.
His power stretched acold beyond championships. Bryant built a civilization of discipline, toughness, and accountability that became synonymous with Alabama football for generations.
CBS Sports named Alabama the top programme of the 1960s aft the Crimson Tide compiled a staggering 90-16-4 grounds during the decade.
The tally began with Alabama's cleanable 11-0 nationalist title play successful 1961 and continued with further nationalist titles successful 1964 and 1965.
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The roster featured aboriginal shot legends similar Joe Namath and Ken Stabler, giving Bryant elite endowment astatine backmost portion maintaining the carnal individuality that made Alabama feared crossed the country.
There's besides an statement that Alabama should person finished the decennary with different nationalist championship.
The 1966 Crimson Tide completed the regular play undefeated and untied, yet the Associated Press awarded the nationalist title to Notre Dame instead. To this day, galore Alabama fans judge that remains 1 of the biggest snubs successful assemblage shot history.
Regardless, Bryant's dominance passim the decennary near small uncertainty successful CBS Sports' caput that Alabama stood supra each different programme of the era.
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Nick Saban authored possibly the top dynasty assemblage shot has ever seen
If Bryant built Alabama into the standard, Nick Saban elevated it to heights assemblage shot whitethorn ne'er spot again.
The Crimson Tide's tally passim the 2010s wasn't simply dominant.
It was relentless.
From 2010 done 2019, Alabama posted an unthinkable 124-15 grounds portion capturing 5 SEC championships and 4 nationalist championships during the decennary alone.
The numbers are staggering, but they don't afloat seizure what made Saban's dynasty truthful remarkable.
College shot changed dramatically during those years.
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The crippled shifted distant from defense-first shot toward explosive offenses, dispersed formations, and high-powered passing attacks. Many established coaches struggled to adapt.
Saban didn't.
After winning championships with suffocating defenses and a bruising moving game, helium wholly reinvented Alabama's offense.
Rather than stubbornly clinging to what had worked before, Saban embraced change.
He hired innovative violative coordinators, modernized Alabama's attack, and turned the Crimson Tide into 1 of the nation's astir explosive offenses.
That willingness to germinate whitethorn yet beryllium 1 of the defining reasons Saban became the top manager successful assemblage shot history.
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Perhaps nary infinitesimal amended symbolizes that adaptability than the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Trailing astatine halftime against Georgia, Saban made 1 of the boldest coaching decisions of his vocation by replacing seasoned backmost Jalen Hurts with freshman Tua Tagovailoa.
The determination shocked the assemblage shot world.
It besides changed history.
Tagovailoa led Alabama to an unforgettable overtime victory, delivering 1 of the astir iconic moments successful title crippled past portion launching different epoch of elite backmost play successful Tuscaloosa.
Three decades. Three antithetic coaches. One standard.
What makes this designation truthful awesome isn't simply that Alabama was named the champion programme of 3 abstracted decades.
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It's that each decennary looked wholly different.
Different coaches.
Different players.
Different violative philosophies.
Different rules.
Different eras of assemblage football.
Yet Alabama kept uncovering ways to emergence supra everyone else.
Most powerhouse programs acquisition 1 aureate epoch earlier yet fading backmost toward the pack.
Alabama has repeatedly rebuilt itself into the nation's premier programme crossed astir a period of assemblage football.
From Wallace Wade and Frank Thomas laying the foundation, to Bear Bryant creating 1 of sports' top dynasties, to Nick Saban redefining modern assemblage football, Alabama has consistently proven that greatness isn't measured by 1 title season.
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It's measured by generations of excellence.
That's what separates the Crimson Tide from astir everyone else.
Championships travel and go.
Dynasties yet end.
But Alabama's quality to stay applicable crossed astir 100 years of assemblage shot past is what genuinely makes the programme unique.
CBS Sports whitethorn person acceptable retired to place the top squad of each decade.
Instead, it unintentionally reinforced thing Alabama fans person believed each along.
No assemblage shot programme has owned much eras than the Crimson Tide.
Roll Tide.
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