What's better for sports in general, having parity where everybody has at least a reasonable shot, or are "dynasties" more beneficial overall? Is Major League Baseball better when the Yankees or Dodgers can simply outbid everyone for the best players and win 100+ games every year, or are salary caps the way to go where the Braves and Cheatin' Cards can make it to the show?
Years ago, College football limited the number of scholarships to 85 in part, to achieve some parity and not allow the Bama's and Notre Dames and USC's of the world to run 130 players out on the field and steamroll everybody 56-7. The old saying, which was true, was that Bear Bryant used to sign guys he didn't need just so his rivals couldn't sign them. But even with that supposed parity, you still have the same teams year after year who are signing top 5 recruiting classes and the same handful of programs making the playoffs.
So how is it that the same teams continue to prosper each and every year when there's only a limited number of scholarships to go around? You could argue that teams like Bama and Ohio State have tradition and kids want to play for the highest profile programs. Maybe that plays into it a little, but quite honestly, these kids don't give a fickity fuck about that. You could say that certain programs are sending more players to the NFL, and that's the ultimate goal. I can buy some of that; however, there's a huge difference in a program developing players to become NFL ready, and one that's simply signing 25 of the best high school players in the country every year, many of which are going to the show regardless of where they play college ball.
So, let's target the juggernaut right here in our back yard. We complain that Gus doesn't "develop" players, but is Nick Saban really doing that? How much development do you have to do with a 6'2" 235 pound running back who is pretty much NFL ready before he sets foot on your campus? Do you have to develop Henry Ruggs, Jaylen Waddle, Devonte Smith, Amari Cooper, Julio Jones etc. to become great wide receivers? How hard is it to make the playoffs when you can literally put a 5* player at every position across your O-line each and every year?
I’m not saying that it’s not attractive to the top players to go to a program winning championships and putting players in the NFL. But the program has to get to that point first. Once Nick Saban set foot on campus, Alabama went from Brodie getting sacked 17 times in one game, to the #1 recruiting class every single year. In fact, I think they’ve only missed the #1 spot once in Saban’s tenure. There was nothing attractive about that program. They were coming off years of ineptitude. But suddenly, it was THE destination for the best high school players in America? And they’ve never looked back. Something had to happen. There had to be something that changed procedurally. Was it Nick Saban’s bubbly personality? Yeah, right.
I know why, and it’s the one reason that while college football is my #1 sports passion, I will forever be cynical as long as Saban is at the helm.
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