By Jay Bhati ’20, Contributor

The National College Football Championship was Monday January 8th and it was a very memorable championship, for arrogant SEC fans. An SEC championship isn’t very interesting to the rest of the world. Especially when one of the teams wasn’t supposed to be there.

Alabama has a reputation of being able to compete with anyone in the nation. This is one of the main reasons they were put as the 4^th seed in the playoffs instead of OSU. OSU fans presented their case by being a top tier team AND showing off their championship skills from the best conference in college football, The Big 10. However, the odds were not in their favor, especially after their disastrous game against Iowa. The Iowa blowout, and their past record in the playoffs are the main reasons OSU was kept out of the game this year.

Alabama only lost once, in the Iron Bowl against Auburn, but that didn’t make much of a difference. The team that Alabama Coach Nick Saban produces is always a national competitor. If Saban is at the head, the team automatically has a chance to win any game. The reasons: Coach Saban’s ability to adjust during the game, Alabama’s superior recruiting, and the ability to hold teams to under 200 yards. Since 2007 Alabama has held teams to 200 yards 49 times while the next best team, TCU, has only done it 20 times. If Coach Saban is given more than a week to prepare, the assumption can be made that Alabama will come out on top. Coach Saban’s teams are predicated on defense, focusing on their defensive line. Their defensive line is among the ranks of top tier football colleges such as Michigan and Clemson. Another great coaching quality is that Coach Saban forces teams to throw the ball, often triggering fumbles and lost yardage. Aware of Alabama’s incredible defense, this strategy also ensures that another team won’t beat Alabama with their arms. 

During the National Championship, in Georgia’s case, besides one nice burst for 26 from Sony Michael, Georgia’s running game wasn’t an important factor. This meant that the majority of production came from their freshman quarterback, Jake Fromm. In the first half, he was able to go toe-to-toe with Alabama, producing a 13-0 lead. However, Coach Saban was given time to adjust during halftime. His offense was failing with no results under veteran quarterback, Jalen Hurts. Coach Saban decided to pull Hurts from the game and replace him with an inexperienced freshman from Hawaii. At times the decision seemed unwise, but proved beneficial when the game was on the line and Alabama won in overtime. Coach Saban was calling every play. He didn’t leave it up to chance with his coordinators. He single-handedly brought that team to victory. Coach Saban has now won five National Championships with Alabama and the way he’s coaching, they do not seem likely slow down any time soon.