The Alabama Crimson Tide won their fourth national championship in seven years after a 45-40 victory over the Clemson Tigers, but is this good for college football?
Alabama’s dominance is good for college football, but it wasn’t always that way.
The Tide’s dominance was bad for College Football prior to the College Football Playoff. This is because the BCS years didn’t usually give us a true champion. They were more about playing favorites and really stifled competition. You could argue that this year’s championship is the only one that Alabama fairly won outright.
In 2009, the regular season ended with five undefeated teams: Alabama, Texas, TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State. When bowl season ended, only Alabama, Cincinnati and Boise State remained undefeated. While a playoff couldn’t put all five teams in a four-team field, it would have delivered more convincing results.
Instead, Alabama seemed to be winning championships the easy way. Similar results happened in the other three years Alabama ended the season number one under Nick Saban.
The playoff system evens the field more, and while Alabama made it last year, they fell in the first round. With the BCS, they likely would have captured another championship.
More saturday blitz: 30 Best College Running Backs of All-Time
It’s not easy to even make the Playoff, but Alabama has made it both years and won it all this year. What Saban and the Crimson Tide are accomplishing is incredible, and as long as they’re earning it through the playoff system, it’s good for college football fans to see history made, even though it might be from a team they dislike.
Until Alabama wins several championships in a row and has a monopoly over College Football, their dominance will be a good thing.