Somewhat agree, but I would think the loss to UGA in the title game last year, was likely the beginning of the end for their run.
Did UF turn down some players from the portal? Do you have an issue with the players UF got from the portal? Myself, I like UFs portal players. Development? Do you have details on that?
Congrats to LSU on making what appears to be a good hire for them. We also made a good hire. Not mutually exclusive. Also, what would some propose we do? If we run BN out of here now, our program will be dead for at least another decade. Give the man time.
The NIL ruined Bama's advantage in college football and evened out the playing field. It's that simple.
Not so fast there. Orgeron recruited head and shoulders above Mullen. Even in his last class, that he pretty much knew was his last. LSU has more talent, particularly along the DL and OL. Kelly needed to come in, push a few buttons and get people in the right place. Napier had to come in and totally rebuild a culture. There has never been any question that LSU Admin from the top down prioritized winning football. There have been many examples and even more allegations that the same could not be said of UF. I don’t believe that Kelly had to negotiate for top tier program funding like Napier did. That right there tells you all we need to know about UF Admin and their priorities for winning football championships. What we saw in College Station yesterday was another brick in the foundation of UF football.
. Nail on the head here. We may have been a bit harsh on Billy. And we may have underestimated Kelly altogether. Dude is doing a hell of a good job for his first year.
If we are seeing the same start of the end of the Saban Era, it looks like Kirby is inn position to sit on the throne next. Which makes me want to barf.
I think the portal evened things out more than NIL. Bama has recruited so well at the HS level, that they haven't needed the portal quite as much as others (yes, they've gained plenty, too!). The LSU QB should be at ASU....and Borrow at OSU....And Hooker at V Tech, etc, etc. Also, they were bound to miss on some recruits...Instead of having 12 players drafted this year, they'll have 8. lol.
You do realize A&M was missing 12 starters and 7 backups, including the starting QB? I'm not saying Florida wouldn't have still won the game, but it had a significant impact on this game. Back to the actual topic, Alabama, they have honestly been playing with fire since late last season. If you look back to November of last year, they have played seven ranked teams (teams that were ranked at the end of the season last year or ranked currently). In those seven games, they are 4-3...with two of those being 1-score wins. What's more telling than their record against ranked teams, they had a 1-score win over a 6 win LSU (at Tuscaloosa) and a 2-pt 4OT win over a 6 win Auburn...who would have almost certainly won that game with a healthy Nix at QB. Looking at this season, they have played 3 currently ranked teams...losses to Tennessee and LSU, with a win over Texas (who, like Auburn last year, would have almost certainly won that game with Ewers staying in the game). Now, do I think Alabama as a dynasty is over? I'm honestly not sure....but the landscape of college football has completely changed around Saban. NIL money and the new transfer rules, not to mention the transfer portal itself, has completely leveled the playing field.
