O Happy Day: Winning the BCS National Championship
There are days and there are “the” days. It’s been a year checkered with ”the” days already, and the season hasn’t even officially kicked off. The “the” days started with January 7, the date of the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, which by early morning on the East Coast became known as “THE” day–the one every Bama fan had eagerly anticipated and salivated over for 17 years.
Then there was “the” day of the national championship celebration, a decidedly low key 45-minute affair on January 16 in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Fans already had a lot to cheer about, but Nick Saban’s declaration that “this is not the end” just made those rabid gargantuan dreams we have that much bigger.
Don’t forget National Signing Day, when the Tide raked in another top class. It wasn’t the very top of the charts like previous years, but No. 3 isn’t bad. And when Nick Saban is responsible for the recruiting that leads to championships, I’m not going to question his methodology.
A-Day, the annual spring scrimmage, was a glimpse, if not a conservative one, of what’s ahead. The thriller of a game was tied at 17 when time expired, but the White team pulled out a victory on a touchdown pass on the last play of the game. At times, it was hard to tell which team was the first offense and which consisted of the backups. That conundrum even convinced ESPN announcer Craig James to rank two teams from Alabama in his preseason top five: the Crimson team at No. 1 and the White at No. 5.
Just a few weeks ago, “the” SEC Media Days helped satiate the pigskin appetite. But there are many days in between these days that just continue the process. So today is another in that long line of “the” days–the start of fall camp. Which brings us closer to the next “the” day–September 4, the kickoff to the Tide’s 2010 season.
Week by week, we’ll get answers as to whether this team can replace its defensive starters and repeat as conference and (maybe) national champions. If only that crystal football Saban raised aloft in Pasadena in January could portend what’s to come. Then again would the season be as much fun if we knew? For right now, it all starts with another one of “the” days.
Don’t forget National Signing Day, when the Tide raked in another top class. It wasn’t the very top of the charts like previous years, but No. 3 isn’t bad. And when Nick Saban is responsible for the recruiting that leads to championships, I’m not going to question his methodology.
A-Day, the annual spring scrimmage, was a glimpse, if not a conservative one, of what’s ahead. The thriller of a game was tied at 17 when time expired, but the White team pulled out a victory on a touchdown pass on the last play of the game. At times, it was hard to tell which team was the first offense and which consisted of the backups. That conundrum even convinced ESPN announcer Craig James to rank two teams from Alabama in his preseason top five: the Crimson team at No. 1 and the White at No. 5.
Just a few weeks ago, “the” SEC Media Days helped satiate the pigskin appetite. But there are many days in between these days that just continue the process. So today is another in that long line of “the” days–the start of fall camp. Which brings us closer to the next “the” day–September 4, the kickoff to the Tide’s 2010 season.
Week by week, we’ll get answers as to whether this team can replace its defensive starters and repeat as conference and (maybe) national champions. If only that crystal football Saban raised aloft in Pasadena in January could portend what’s to come. Then again would the season be as much fun if we knew? For right now, it all starts with another one of “the” days.
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Tags: Alabama, BCS, championships, cheers, Coaching, recruiting, Saban
