College Title Tilt Tonight

In tonight’s college football title tilt, Alabama, whose coach Nick Saban is bidding to pass the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant with a 6th ‘Bama crown (“they” list Bryant as having 6 crowns but even though I dislike Notre Dame intensely, largely because they were voted titles they did not deserve, ’73 was a season which culminated with Schenkel, Bud Wilkinson and Mr. Cosell in tuxedoes and Notre Dame 24 ‘Bama 23, thus one can not say ‘Bama won the ’73 crown. Bryant can be credited with and is with Associated Press titles in ’61, ’64, ’65, ’78 and ’79) is an eight point “fave” (as “Hockey Bob” said “eight, you get it, eight) vs Ohio State.

The teams are meeting for the 5th time, the most recent and only Ohio State win being the ’14 semi win, with Meyer “Urban’ing” a 3rd crown at Saban(o)’s expense (where is Gross,others and time gone by, having been wasted).

Alabama won the other three, it being the operative #, as 3rd ranked Alabama, under Bryant, (Joe Namath calls him “Coach Bryant”) (35-6)’d the Buckeyes (Ohio State), only to be vaulted by Notre Dame in the final polls, that in those days “determined” the mythical national title), whose quarterback was Joe Montana.

Alabama has 11 titles, 5 under both Bryant and Saban and one under Gene Stallings in ’92. All but the ’17 title won when Tua Tagovailoa threw a game ending, overtime touchdown to 2020 Heisman winner, DeVonta Smith (Sean “McDog” McDonough’s voice crackling call, followed mine and now I do not record.) just after which, Sean intoned “one freshman to another,” was won by Bama with either a Democrat in office as U.S. President (’61,’64,’65, ’78,’79 Kennedy first then Johnson and Carter twice each all 5 with “The Bear” as ‘Bama coach, then playing off “‘Bama,” four with the O”bama”/Saban(o) link in ’09,’11, ’12 and ’15) or with one having been elected and just days away from being inaugurated.

That ONE previous such instance was with a Democrat having been elected President, defeating a Republican incumbent, as is of course the case now, that in ’92, (W.J.Clinton elected and Gene Stallings, the Alabama coach).

The ’17 title, referenced above, is the only one of the 11 thus far and if Alabama, again an 8 point favorite, wins tonight, it will be the only one of 12, without a Democrat as either President or President Elect, as a Republican who does not deserve his name cited and actually deserves much worse, was in a shameful reality, yet another in this country’s annals, in office as U.S. President.

Ohio State’s three “clear” crowns were gained under three different coaches, Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes in ’68, Jim Tressel with the virtually forgotten Maurice Clarett, in ’02 and  in ’14, when the Meyer coached Buckeyes followed their semi win vs ‘Bama, with another upset win, that vs Oregon in the first playoffs/title tilt.