What if Alabama Crimson Tide Head Coach Nick Saban Never Left the LSU Tigers?

Jan 24, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer takes the team out for the national championship celebration at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Urban Meyer would not have left Florida until 2011 

One thing about Urban Meyer is clear: his resignation from Florida was nothing more than running away. Don’t forget that he wanted to resign back in 2009 after losing to Alabama, but he stayed another year.

It has been my belief that he wanted to resign then because he knew he was losing Tebow, Charlie Strong, the defensive mind that brought him two titles, had left for Louisville, and Saban was going to always out-recruit him at Alabama. But had Saban stayed at LSU, there is a very good chance Meyer would not have wanted to leave.

After all, LSU was going to compete with Florida in recruiting anyway. Alabama under Petrino would not be recruiting the same way Meyer was recruiting. So he would only have to worry about LSU, as opposed to LSU and Alabama. And that makes all the difference.

As a result, even after the rough 2010 season due to the departure of Tebow, Meyer would have been able to chalk that up to a rebuilding year, and he likely still would have returned for another season. He would not be running from any pressure he already knew existed and would have no incentive to get out of the conference before his program got embarrassed.

That means he would have spent the 2011 season with the Gators and probably had lots more success than Muschamp had at Florida that year. But when Ohio State came calling at the end of the 2011 year, that is when Meyer would have likely left.

And he would be with the Buckeyes in 2012 anyway. So who, then, would be at Florida?

Next: Steve Addazio Would be at Florida