Alabama fans were given quite a scare during Saturday’s narrow 20–19 win over Texas, with the Tide getting a much more competitive game than many had expected. According to one prominent Alabama alum, that’s simply the result of the rest of the pack catching up to the Nick Saban-led dynasty.
Speaking as a guest on the Paul Finebaum Show, former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said that Crimson Tide teams in years past could win without putting together their best performances. Now, though, talented players are more evenly dispersed throughout college football, meaning sub-par showings have a higher likelihood of resulting in a loss.
“Alabama’s talent gap had been so significant, that even if they came out and played their C-game it wouldn’t matter,” McElroy said. “Now if they come out and play their C-game, teams can get them. It’s not that Bama has gotten worse. I think other teams have gotten better.”
McElroy was a freshman at Alabama in 2007, Saban’s first year with the program. He took over as the team’s starter in ’09 and led the team to an unbeaten record and national championship, the program’s first since 1992.
Saturday’s game against Texas is evidence of McElroy’s larger point. The Tide were out of sync on offense and mistake-prone all over the field, getting called for 15 penalties on the day that nearly cost the team a loss to a Texas program coming off a 5–7 season. Saban and Alabama will look for a more effective performance on Saturday against Louisiana Monroe before opening SEC play the following week against Vanderbilt.
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