SEC IS THE GOLD STANDARD OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL
The Southeastern Conference is best. It is the gold standard in college football. I don't think you could get any rational argument from anyone else regarding the truth of that statement. In large part that is because of contributions of the University of Alabama. How did that happen? How did the SEC become so dominant, how did Alabama contribute to that dominance?
Let's go back to the year 1922. To put the date into some modern perspective think about this - The American Civil War ended in 1865. That was only 57 years before Alabama took on the highly ranked Penn Quakers. John Heisman coached the Penn team. Yes, that John Heisman. Xen Scott coached Alabama. In today's world that meant the game would have been played in 1962. The Cuban Missle Crisis was front-page news. John Glenn went into Space for America, Seattle built the Space Needle, and Marilyn Monroe sang a sultry version of 'Happy Birthday' to President Kennedy.
In 1922, the Civil War was not just history it was a personal recollection to millions of Americans who were still alive during the war. Football wise the Ivy League was the big dog, but on November 4, 1922, the lightly regarded Alabama Crimson Tide went to Philadelphia and beat Penn 9-7. The game was played on brand new Franklin Field. The game brought some pride and even dignity to the Deep South. It also gave birth to what eventually became the Deep South's statement of their superiority in college football. When Alabama dominated the Rose Bowl against PAC teams for almost two-decades it became clear the South was superior. In fact, the Rose Bowl Committee forged an agreement between the PAC10 and the BIG10 to take their league champions. The PAC 10 was simply tired of having Alabama beat them senseless. In 1946 Alabama beat USC 34-14. Alabama would never be invited to the Rose Bowl again. The West Coast writers called Tide players, "swamp rabbits". However, the Tide did play for the National Championship in Rose Bowl Stadium when they beat Texas. It was not the Rose Bowl. The 1925 Alabama team beat Washington in what was called an upset. The problem for National Sportswriters was that it clearly wasn't an upset. The Alabama win was later called the "football game that changed the South". Note, the game changed the South, not just Southern football. The South now had something to celebrate, and something to reintegrate themselves with rest of the nation for the first time in 60 years. Those two wins were about a lot more than football.
Alabama has won 17 National Championships. Other programs contributed as well, but it was the University of Alabama that did the heavy lifting. It was Alabama that started the domination and still Alabama that continues the trend. Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Paul Bryant, Gene Stallings, and Nick Saban have all won National Championships. The first championship was in 1925 and the latest was in 2017. Alabama caused other teams to compete at a higher level. To be successful means different things to schools and fans. But only Alabama has been a decades-long dynasty in the Deep South. You can love or hate Alabama. But, you can't disregard the Tide. To claim you are the best means you have to beat the best, and it means you have to beat a program that shows no signs of slowing down. It was Alabama that started the domination and Alabama that continues the trend. Death, taxes, and Alabama are three certain things in life.
The Southeastern Conference is best. It is the gold standard in college football. I don't think you could get any rational argument from anyone else regarding the truth of that statement. In large part that is because of contributions of the University of Alabama. How did that happen? How did the SEC become so dominant, how did Alabama contribute to that dominance?
Let's go back to the year 1922. To put the date into some modern perspective think about this - The American Civil War ended in 1865. That was only 57 years before Alabama took on the highly ranked Penn Quakers. John Heisman coached the Penn team. Yes, that John Heisman. Xen Scott coached Alabama. In today's world that meant the game would have been played in 1962. The Cuban Missle Crisis was front-page news. John Glenn went into Space for America, Seattle built the Space Needle, and Marilyn Monroe sang a sultry version of 'Happy Birthday' to President Kennedy.
In 1922, the Civil War was not just history it was a personal recollection to millions of Americans who were still alive during the war. Football wise the Ivy League was the big dog, but on November 4, 1922, the lightly regarded Alabama Crimson Tide went to Philadelphia and beat Penn 9-7. The game was played on brand new Franklin Field. The game brought some pride and even dignity to the Deep South. It also gave birth to what eventually became the Deep South's statement of their superiority in college football. When Alabama dominated the Rose Bowl against PAC teams for almost two-decades it became clear the South was superior. In fact, the Rose Bowl Committee forged an agreement between the PAC10 and the BIG10 to take their league champions. The PAC 10 was simply tired of having Alabama beat them senseless. In 1946 Alabama beat USC 34-14. Alabama would never be invited to the Rose Bowl again. The West Coast writers called Tide players, "swamp rabbits". However, the Tide did play for the National Championship in Rose Bowl Stadium when they beat Texas. It was not the Rose Bowl. The 1925 Alabama team beat Washington in what was called an upset. The problem for National Sportswriters was that it clearly wasn't an upset. The Alabama win was later called the "football game that changed the South". Note, the game changed the South, not just Southern football. The South now had something to celebrate, and something to reintegrate themselves with rest of the nation for the first time in 60 years. Those two wins were about a lot more than football.
Alabama has won 17 National Championships. Other programs contributed as well, but it was the University of Alabama that did the heavy lifting. It was Alabama that started the domination and still Alabama that continues the trend. Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Paul Bryant, Gene Stallings, and Nick Saban have all won National Championships. The first championship was in 1925 and the latest was in 2017. Alabama caused other teams to compete at a higher level. To be successful means different things to schools and fans. But only Alabama has been a decades-long dynasty in the Deep South. You can love or hate Alabama. But, you can't disregard the Tide. To claim you are the best means you have to beat the best, and it means you have to beat a program that shows no signs of slowing down. It was Alabama that started the domination and Alabama that continues the trend. Death, taxes, and Alabama are three certain things in life.
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