The common measure of football superiority is to record and measure wins, but even great programs lose games. How those losses compare to other programs reveals much about one program’s superiority to others. The following three Alabama statistics are worthy of note.
1. The most recent time any team scored 50+ points on Alabama, in 4 quarters, was in 1906. Compare that to the other team losses in 4 quarters:
--Michigan surrendered 62 points to Ohio State in 2018, less than 1 year ago
--Ohio State surrendered points 55 to Iowa in 2017, 1 year ago
--Texas surrendered 51 points to Maryland in 2017, 1 year ago
--Nebraska surrendered 56 points to Iowa in 2017, 1 year ago
--USC surrendered 62 points to Alabama in 2016, 2 years ago
--Notre Dame surrendered 55 points to Arizona State in 2014, 4 years ago
--Clemson surrendered 51 points to FSU in 2013, 5 years ago
--Oklahoma surrendered 55 points to USC in 2005, 13 years ago
***But with Alabama, surrendering 50+ points in 4 quarters last happened 112 years ago.
2. After 2006 Alabama’s 15 point loss to Florida, and continuing through the victory over 2018 Oklahoma in the playoffs, a total of 169 consecutive games, Alabama suffered no loss by more 2 TDs (15+ points).
--Notre Dame during the 40s, winning 4 titles, did not play consecutive 140 games without a 15+ point loss, and it did not accomplish this feat with Rockne in the 20s.
--Oklahoma during the 50s with 3 titles, or during the 70s with 2 titles, or during the 00s with Stoops, did not play 140 consecutive games without a 15+ loss.
--Miami during the 80s and 90s, with 4 titles, did not play 140 consecutive games without a 15+ point loss.
--FSU, with 14 consecutive top 4 AP seasons from 1987 through 2000 and 2 titles, did not play 140 consecutive games without a 15+ point loss.
--No team since 1900 has played 140 consecutive games without suffering a 15+ point loss.
***Coach Saban is the only coach in college football history—since 1869—to coach 140+ consecutive games without suffering a 15+ point loss. He coached 166 games at Alabama before ever suffering a loss of 15+ points. These coaches never coached 140 consecutive games without suffering a loss of 15+ points: Yost, Rockne, Neyland, Leahy, Wilkinson, Bryant, Hayes, Schembechler, Royal, McKay, Devaney, Parseghian, Switzer, Osborne, Paterno, Bowden, Stoops, and Meyer.
***Moreover, Coach Saban’s 139-15 record over 154 games between 2008 and 2018 is a winning percentage of .902%. No other coach in NCAA history has won at a 90% rate over 150 consecutive games. Furthermore, no coach other than Saban has won even 140 consecutive games at a 90% win rate.
3. Alabama’s last loss to an unranked team was during the 2007 season. Beginning with the win over Colorado to close out the 2007 season, Alabama has not lost to an unranked team. That’s 155 consecutive games played without a loss to an unranked team. During this period of 155 games played without a loss to an unranked team, no other team in the NCAA has less than 9 losses to unranked teams.
***Since AP rankings began in 1936, Coach Saban is the only coach in the history of the NCAA to play over 150 consecutive games without losing to an unranked team. Coaches Neyland, Leahy, Wilkinson, Bryant, Hayes, Schembechler, Royal, McKay, Devaney, Parseghian, Switzer, Osborne, Paterno, Bowden, Stoops, and Meyer cannot claim this distinction.
1. The most recent time any team scored 50+ points on Alabama, in 4 quarters, was in 1906. Compare that to the other team losses in 4 quarters:
--Michigan surrendered 62 points to Ohio State in 2018, less than 1 year ago
--Ohio State surrendered points 55 to Iowa in 2017, 1 year ago
--Texas surrendered 51 points to Maryland in 2017, 1 year ago
--Nebraska surrendered 56 points to Iowa in 2017, 1 year ago
--USC surrendered 62 points to Alabama in 2016, 2 years ago
--Notre Dame surrendered 55 points to Arizona State in 2014, 4 years ago
--Clemson surrendered 51 points to FSU in 2013, 5 years ago
--Oklahoma surrendered 55 points to USC in 2005, 13 years ago
***But with Alabama, surrendering 50+ points in 4 quarters last happened 112 years ago.
2. After 2006 Alabama’s 15 point loss to Florida, and continuing through the victory over 2018 Oklahoma in the playoffs, a total of 169 consecutive games, Alabama suffered no loss by more 2 TDs (15+ points).
--Notre Dame during the 40s, winning 4 titles, did not play consecutive 140 games without a 15+ point loss, and it did not accomplish this feat with Rockne in the 20s.
--Oklahoma during the 50s with 3 titles, or during the 70s with 2 titles, or during the 00s with Stoops, did not play 140 consecutive games without a 15+ loss.
--Miami during the 80s and 90s, with 4 titles, did not play 140 consecutive games without a 15+ point loss.
--FSU, with 14 consecutive top 4 AP seasons from 1987 through 2000 and 2 titles, did not play 140 consecutive games without a 15+ point loss.
--No team since 1900 has played 140 consecutive games without suffering a 15+ point loss.
***Coach Saban is the only coach in college football history—since 1869—to coach 140+ consecutive games without suffering a 15+ point loss. He coached 166 games at Alabama before ever suffering a loss of 15+ points. These coaches never coached 140 consecutive games without suffering a loss of 15+ points: Yost, Rockne, Neyland, Leahy, Wilkinson, Bryant, Hayes, Schembechler, Royal, McKay, Devaney, Parseghian, Switzer, Osborne, Paterno, Bowden, Stoops, and Meyer.
***Moreover, Coach Saban’s 139-15 record over 154 games between 2008 and 2018 is a winning percentage of .902%. No other coach in NCAA history has won at a 90% rate over 150 consecutive games. Furthermore, no coach other than Saban has won even 140 consecutive games at a 90% win rate.
3. Alabama’s last loss to an unranked team was during the 2007 season. Beginning with the win over Colorado to close out the 2007 season, Alabama has not lost to an unranked team. That’s 155 consecutive games played without a loss to an unranked team. During this period of 155 games played without a loss to an unranked team, no other team in the NCAA has less than 9 losses to unranked teams.
***Since AP rankings began in 1936, Coach Saban is the only coach in the history of the NCAA to play over 150 consecutive games without losing to an unranked team. Coaches Neyland, Leahy, Wilkinson, Bryant, Hayes, Schembechler, Royal, McKay, Devaney, Parseghian, Switzer, Osborne, Paterno, Bowden, Stoops, and Meyer cannot claim this distinction.
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