The witch isn’t dead yet but Dorothy is just around the bend. Alabama’s loss to South Carolina was pure bliss. Was it a hat trick?
The Media’s Love Child Loses
The Division 1-A college football national championship is a joke invented by powerful media writers, corporations, advertisers, and old white guys wearing plaid pants. Alabama was preordained the champion at the beginning of the year by the establishment in an annual ritual known as the “preseason poll”. The poll names a “it’s yours to lose” leader every year.
With #1 Alabama’s loss, TCU, Boise State, and other less popular programs (i.e. Auburn) become part of the national discussion. With a few more losses from teams like Ohio State and Oklahoma, this year has the potential to bring down the house of cards better known as the “BCS”. Even the media’s argument for a one loss SEC team playing for the national title will be a little lite if a few non-BCS schools are undefeated at the end of the year. I’m adding candles to my shopping list.
Nick Saban goes down to Steve Spurrier
I can no longer blame Alabama for bribing a coach to abandon a commitment (a la Saban dissing Miami). That’s the business. No doubt Saban has done almost the impossible by bringing Alabama back from the depths of hell. BUT… Spurrier is working with far, far less potential in Columbia. His plight is a pure moral cause.
The Gamecocks have never had the players, tradition, nor the program to sustain winning. Wasn’t this their first win over a #1 in the school’s history? Can you count South Carolina’s championships on one hand? How many other big name coaches has South Carolina gone through before handing the keys to Spurrier?
The media will get this story right: This is Spurrier’s best team since he’s been at South Carolina. It may be the best team in that program’s history and be their best championship opportunity. We’re glad they lost to Auburn and we’re in Heaven they beat the reds from Tuscaloosa. Better yet, the Ole’ Ball Coach gets a shot at redemption over the highest paid coach in the business. Now that’s a great story!
Any Day Alabama Loses is a Good Day
Just like when a prowler visits your house in the early morning, our hair stands on our neck at the very sight of the Alabama logo. This would be a much longer post if I was to explain the emotions but know this: we surely will disown the children if they attend Alabama or marry into an Alabama family.
Aside from the reasons above, what makes this particular loss so great is that it proves what the rest of us have been saying; that Alabama isn’t perfect, that they can lose, and will lose. Maybe we should be thanking Bobby Petrino and Arkansas for showing us the way? It’s unfortunate the Razorbacks couldn’t finish their game against the Tide or Alabama would have two conference loses hoping to win enough games to play in a fruit bowl.
This loss was also special for the streaks: number of regular season wins, total wins, Greg McElroy’s first loss since middle school… The loss was bound to happen. Now the media will stop talking about the streaks. Now the discussion moves elsewhere. Now all is becoming right in the world.
There are more good college football teams and lots of football left to play. We are happy to have to story lines move to other well deserving programs and happy to see the SEC become unpredictable once again.
Cheers to the rest of the season!
