SIAP: Saban is 2 wins away from tying Bear Bryant for bowl wins...

[OhioLion]

Not sure where I saw this - possibly espin yesterday - but Saban needs 2 bowl wins to get to a tie with The Bear. I look up bowl wins by coaches and found that Nick Saban could win 5 straight national championships and still trail Joesph Vincent Paterno by 1 win. And, that would make Nick 72.
Likely another number of wins record Coach Paterno will always hold.

OL

 

[psuro]

Unless he meets an unexpected accident.


And.....I know a guy....

 

[Nitt1300]

I imagine that Saban has surpassed Bryant in the minds of many Alabama fans

 

[lein]

If Bama makes it to the title game, do both games count as a bowl win meaning 2 bowl wins in one year?

 

[OhioLion]

If Bama makes it to the title game, do both games count as a bowl win meaning 2 bowl wins in one year?

That’s the way I took it. Not 100% certain. I’m with my in-laws so I have plenty of time to myself and will try to find an answer.

OL

 

[john4psu]

Wins over ranked opponents:
1. Paterno 86
2. Bowden .82
3. Saban . 81
4. Bryant . 66

That's one record Saban should get in the near future. I read he has the most wins against teams in the top five with 23.

 

[demlion]

I imagine that Saban has surpassed Bryant in the minds of many Alabama fans

The phrase "the minds of many Alabama fans," kind of hung me up for a moment. That may be the emptiest set we have ever discussed here.

 

[john4psu]

When did the "ranked teams" metric change from a Top 20 to a Top 25?

To have any meaning... that would have to be accounted for.


Does it go by "ranking" when the teams played? Or end of year ranking?

There's a slew of variations as to how such a figure could be computed - - - - making any such "analysis" subjective.

Very true Norm. I do not know how that number was obtained but you're likely correct in that the top 20 became the top 25 in count. At one time long ago, wasn't there only a top 10 and no top 20? I would imagine that's at the time they played but I don't know that for certain.

 

[anon_1eeb2b426hv3y]

That’s the way I took it. Not 100% certain. I’m with my in-laws so I have plenty of time to myself and will try to find an answer.

OL

Yes. Saban’s 13 counts the 2015 and 2017 semis (which are referred to as “bowls”) and CFC (which isn’t).

Doesn’t need to include the word “bowl” to be a bowl game, which is really just a historic term arising from the progeny of “the grandaddy of them all.”

 

[OhioLion]

Very true Norm

Made me nervous, John. Thought you were addressing me personally.

OL

 

[john4psu]

I'm not 100% sold on the final ranking as being completely accurate. In most cases, it probably is. An example is when Oregon played at Michigan some years back with Dennis Dixon as their quarterback. He was having a Heisman-trophy candidate type of year to that point and made the Ducks quite a threat and formidable. He would get hurt later in the year and the Ducks lost a few games knocking them out of the top 20. Oregon finished the year unranked. The team Michigan faced was a good Oregon team and not the one that limped to the end of the season and finished unranked and Michigan gets no credit for playing a good Oregon team. Circumstances such as injuries can play a heavy part in how a team finishes versus when they faced opponents at full strength.

 

[john4psu]

Hell of a lot better than "rankings" from the pre-season, or the first month of the season, or whenever the games happen to be played..... all anecdotes aside.

I'll go along with you on the pre-season and the first month of the season, but you can't deny injuries change a team's ability.