Is Dabo right?

[Deep Creek]

Dabo not buying that SEC grind wore out Bama

 

[7Samurai13]

Dabo not buying that SEC grind wore out Bama

Alabama has such a quick turn around between the conference championship game and the playoffs. I mean it was only a month to recover.

 

[rsw626]

Didn't seem to wear them out the years they won. They just played a better team that was better prepared.

 

[Deep Creek]

Alabama has such a quick turn around between the conference championship game and the playoffs. I mean it was only a month to recover.

These are the two that stuck out to me.

"I know people say that Alabama was tired because they went through the grind and had to play all these teams," Swinney told ESPN, discussing a narrative he has heard mostly in media circles. "Well, they won by an average of 33.1 points per game [going into the playoff], so they ought to be well-rested."

"My thing on that is, 'Are you serious? They're tired?' Then you look at Clemson, and we won 12 games by 20-plus. Who really challenged Alabama in the SEC? They didn't get challenged by anybody until the Georgia game [for the SEC championship]."

 

[KingKoolKat75]

Yes...had a month to prepare. I would say coaching changes more than anything.

 

[amszete]

Dabo not buying that SEC grind wore out Bama

 

[trojanfight]

Listen, the SEC is a great conference, but I don't think they've been as deep the last few years. I think they've had two or three really good teams and then it's kind of been hit or miss from there.

this was pretty spot on

 

[LyquidMetal]

Saban calls it listening to rat poison. All the press hype. And the oc and whoever else were ready to move onto new jobs when the season was over so where were their minds at?
Regardless, clemmy won the trophy.

 

[7Samurai13]

Saban calls it listening to rat poison. All the press hype. And the oc and whoever else were ready to move onto new jobs when the season was over so where were their minds at?
Regardless, clemmy won the trophy.

I wasn’t expecting a didn’t want to be there so soon.

 

[lilchi721]

I'm not sure if Tua was 100 percent healthy in that game against Clemson

 

[BamaDude]

Dabo not buying that SEC grind wore out Bama

It wasn't the "grind" that led to Alabama's loss. The primary factor was that Clemson was better prepared and peaking at the right time. A major secondary factor was that both Alabama quarterbacks were playing with aggravating injuries and an overall lack of confidence. But even without the injuries, I still think Clemson would have won the game that day. But it probably would have been a closer ball game.

 

[Kaplony]

Perhaps St Nick needs to learn a lesson from Dabo so his team isn't so worn out at the end of the season when the games really start to count.

Clemson lets almost the whole roster play, destroys good teams anyway

Dabo Swinney’s Clemson is known for letting plenty of guys see the field. A 41-7 drubbing over a previously undefeated NC State has to be near the epitome.


A look at Clemson’s box score shows that the Tigers played 84 (eighty four) players on either offense, defense, or special teams. That’s almost all of the 95 total players listed on the roster. Only 85 are even allowed to be on scholarship.


Just for comparison, from the same day: Alabama listed 44 players as having seen the field in its similar blowout win over Tennessee, and Oklahoma listed 49 during an easy win over TCU.


Clemson played 54 players in the first quarter alone.

 

[Wild Turkey]

Listen, the SEC is a great conference, but I don't think they've been as deep the last few years. I think they've had two or three really good teams and then it's kind of been hit or miss from there.

this was pretty spot on

Considereding Auburn was awful and still beat the PAC 12 champion and blew out their B1G bowl opponent (who had beat the B1G champ) 63-14, I'd say there is a lot of opinion in your post and very little fact.

 

[Wild Turkey]

Saban has made his living on having better athletes than the other team. Clemson and UGA have closed that gap so the big factor is coaching. Saban is a great recruiter and CEO but he rarely is the best game day coach on the sidelines. That is how you have to beat Bama through coaching.

 

[Wishbone]

That 2nd half come back by Kyler Murray wore out Bama.

 

[bamafan4evr12]

Dabo not buying that SEC grind wore out Bama

Yes, Dabo is right. A lot of factors led to Bama losing, but the two biggest are that Bama was outplayed and out coached.

 

[NolePride]

That 2nd half come back by Kyler Murray wore out Bama.

You know, you might be close to something there.

Now, I don't think Murray wore Bama out, but he certainly exposed them.

I also believe that OU gave Bama more fits than Notre Dame did vs Clemson. Clemson was probably a bit better
rested for the game.

Clemson knew they could move the ball on Bama, by being balanced. They also knew their front four could
slow down the Bama running game. Not shut it down...just slow it down. Clemson shrunk the field on Bama.
They'd let them get yards but wouldn't let them get the big throw. When Bama got close and there was only
20 or 30 yards of grass behind the Clemson defenders, they brought the house on Tua. I do believe that Clemson
out-coached Bama. I will always believe that if Bama had switched to Hurts at QB when they got to the Clemson30, they would have won that game. Bama made it to the playoffs, because Tua was hobbled and Bama had to switch to
Hurts for the rest of the game and UGA couldn't control Hurts. He created spaces and took advantage of them.

Saban should have taken advantage of that. He didn't and got whipped.

 

[Chewbaccer]

Didn't seem to hinder them too much against Oklahoma.

A better prepared team with equal talent is what wore Bama down.

 

[AlaskaGuy]

Dabo not buying that SEC grind wore out Bama

SEC grind? The SEC doesn't even play their own conference members for fvcks sake.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

They had that game against The Citadel towards the end of the season, that must have really got em