Did you purposefully leave off "heavy sanctions?"

Outlier, or what you've been exposed to? How often have you seen the lady from Finebaum surrounding coverage of Alabama on ESPN? There's an outlier, but one with more exposure than any other segment of the fan base.

Personally, I've been involved with talking to different Alabama fans through this kind of medium for over 20 years now starting with an email listserv on the University's system. If there's one opinion I've drawn it's the difference boils down to a generational gap.

That said, this conversation is moving away from the original point by @lsutiga , "I've often said that bowl game records are shyt. I'm not sure how strong the SEC West really was or is but I know bowl games hardly measure that."

Case in point. I'm not going to sit here and say the '11 Bama team was better than the '11 LSU squad. There was a difference in the BCS game; that fell on blocking/scheme decisions.

I'm not one that believes the score differential in the '12 BCS game against Notre Dame meant that they were that much worse than the Tide. I said on this very forum I thought the Tide would win because Notre Dame couldn't tackle. They didn't. They lost.

This past season the most returning starters a FBS team fielded was 19. OU returned 14. Did the Sugar Bowl win over Bama mean they were a better team? That day, yes. There were certainly external factors involved much like the '11 game versus LSU. (It's a bit ironic that Stoops is clearing house having already fired his Co-OC with two more staffers rumored to be on their way out. Did they forget how to coach? Is the bowl game this season an indicator of the team's talent?)

Do you think Ga. Tech was a better football team in 2012 than USC? I don't. They did win that game in the Sun Bowl though. GT has never lost to USC in a bowl game, right? $1 to tiga here...that one example, based on one game, proves the notion "that bowl game records are shyt."

No. Mostly because we still managed to pull in pretty good talent, just not a lot of them. We won a few local recruiting battles despite the negative recruiting from westwood and still manged to be in national conversation at times. Not bad for what amounted to a death penalty.

Finebaum? Lol. Uh, no. I'm in CA so obviously my exposure is limited to certain sources and media, social media, etc. At one time I was a mod on an SEC forum (I was only on the "other schools board" but obviously I read all of them). I spent a year reading some of the most nutty comments from Bama fans....far and away different from all other SEC teams.

Obviously you know more Bama fans.....but you ARE a Bama fan. Those glasses are present for all of us as we view our own teams. However, I do see differences in generational thinking and reality.

That may be the point and it may have merit. My point and I'm sticking to it, is that crystal/#1/winner/BCS champ is the one thing that just ONE team can claim each year. Nobody really cares about any other bowl game. And of course you aren't going to spend time talking about, worrying about, or analyzing 2011....you effing won the NC!

I couldn't think of her name earlier; Phyllis. This season I've seen her on everything from Sportscenter, to PTI, to Cowherd's simulcast, to the collegiate shows they air in the afternoon...geez, far too many to count. Sadly, repeatedly.

I know you were a part of an SEC forum. I invited you to take that role as a moderator. At that time I was paying for the server space and continued to do so until the guy handling the "back end" work went on a "I found God" and suddenly his attitude was holier than I've ever dreamed God would want anyone to be. It took me all of a couple of days to see where he was going in his newly found freedom (as he put it) and I walked away—no, ran—as fast as I could.

What's interesting about you bringing that up is that message forum (SECBlitz) was invaded by the group from TideSports (before it went to Rivals.) The same group is now at woolyal.com and they are as off the rocker, delusional, you name the adjective as they've ever been. Free beer, free liquor, free food, free drugs, free women...you name it...not a damn thing would persuade me to even sit at the same table as the majority of those people.

You and I are about the same age as I recall. With the majority of Bama fans, those that have lived through Bryant, then dealt with Perkins, Curry onto Stallings, then...you get the picture...have quite a different attitude than those who, as a child, grew up with Stallings as their first coach. The 20-30 year old crowd...geez, they're just not a group I'd even call my peers.

Goes to back up tiga's point, does it not?

FWIW, I have spent time, here, talking about 2011's team. And, I've not been posting things about "we've got the crystal ball." More times than not it's been defending Jefferson by pointing out where the scheme failed. In the end, that one game doesn't tell anyone that Bama was better than LSU that season or that game. Decisions made by coaching staff's resulted in that outcome.

I'm saying that if you add the head coaches salary to the assistants Alabama pays more.

Ah, got ya.

It would be interesting to see how the pay breaks down for administrative/support staff's as well. I suspect Bama's is higher as well considering the number working in the athletic department now.

Really honestly, is Nick that different at Alabama from when he was at LSU? He may be a little more mellow overall, but Im not sure he's changed too much. What's going on at Alabama right now is waaaaaaaaaaaaay more impressive than what he did with LSU.

Does he get more support from the administration, or from the boosters?

It just seems like it would be easier to be better at Alabama. That's not an insult or a knock in anyway unless it's towards LSU.

It's been ten years so I think it's safe to say he's learned a lot since then.

I don't know how he had his administrative staff set up at LSU. Having the opportunity to build an NFL staff at Miami, then using that same structure in Tuscaloosa has its benefits, I'm sure. That's one of the reasons I mentioned the administrative side of salaries earlier. That's been utilized in a way that was a little new to collegiate football as I understand the situation. Mack Brown, just after the loss in the BCSNC, was critical of the way the staff was set up but then turned around and did the same thing at UT.

Just as one example, when the coaching staff was changed at Washington (when Sark was hired,) one of their assistant coaches (Tosh Lupoi) was hired as an Intern. He's been working with the Director of Player Personnel on the electronic side of player evaluations in recruiting. As another, when Al Groh was fired at Virginia, his son Mike was brought in as a GA. After spending a year at that position he was moved to the WR coach.

I think there's an argument to be made that the success the program enjoyed in the past makes it a little easier. But, that takes the right coach. It was a perfect storm when he was hired.

Having the late Coach Moore as the Athletic Director when Saban was hired undoubtedly paid huge dividends. When it comes to raising money from the boosters, it comes in hand over fist. The fund raising drive Moore started at the turn of the century had a goal of 120 million that was met within a matter of a couple of months—far ahead of schedule.

Dr. Witt, president at the time Saban was hired, understood the value a strong athletic program can mean for the academic side. That's something that had been missing from that position since Stallings days; perhaps going further back than that.

When you start adding all of these pieces together it provides the right situation, for the right coach.

What I'm asking is he a much better coach now than he was at LSU? Because on paper Alabama Saban is much better than LSU Saban.