ATLANTA - Nick Saban really wanted us to believe he was worried. that he was worried. Perhaps over the past month as he prepares for Alabama's first game of the 2021 college football season, he's been sitting at the dinner table with his wife, Miss Terry, craning his hands and watching what might be on labor in Atlanta, He was raising his eyebrows at this. day weekend.
Forget that he was 10-0 in the last neutral-sighted season opener. Or that six of those 10 victories came against ranked opponents. Or that those six victories were earned by an average of about 27 points per game.
Instead, the greatest college football coach of all time, coming off the greatest season ever of his GOAT era, stuck to his restless overselling on Saturday morning. Just hours before his defending national champion Alabama squad faced off against an on-again-off-again "resurrected" Miami Hurricanes team, trying to stop the Tide and crash the Top 10, Saban spoke in an almost silent tone. . no smile. Just foreshadowing.
"It's always something like, Have I done a good job? How will it work for us?" In the College Football Hall of Fame, Saban asked ESPN's Marty & McGee whether he still had a nervous first game after more than a quarter century as head coach of the college. "There's a bit of panic there."
He talked about the weight of expectations, the challenge of turning a historically unstoppable 2020 offense now driven by a Heisman Trophy-winning wide receiver and first-round NFL draft pick into quarterback. He reminded that not only did he need to hire two new coordinators, but he had only one supporting assistant on his entire offensive staff.
As Saban listed it all, it seemed really reassuring.
And then his team beat 14th-ranked Miami 44-13. The Tide posted 501 yards as substitute quarterback Bryce Young set Alabama's first-start passing record with 344 yards and four touchdowns. As far as receivers being accused of stepping into last year's All-Stars cleats, they did so collectively, with at least 10 players taking at least one catch.
The man who spent his morning trying to convince us of his lack of confidence, his postgame utter gawk at the new confidence he saw around his young locker room.
"I think it's really important, especially when you have a lot of new players who don't have a lot of experience," the 69-year-old coach said moments after posing with the youngsters. Chick-fil-A kickoff game. "When they get into the game and they find some success, pay for all the work they put in, which really helps with confidence. Hopefully it helps them continue to grow and improve."
To see what happened inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday afternoon was really like being trapped in the warp of Marvel Comics' time. A solid four-hour deja vu adorned with houndstooth.
Stop me if you've heard this before. Actually, don't stop me. read on. Because after tonight this history will not repeat itself for a long time.
2008. Week 1. Atlanta. No. 24 Alabama Upset No. 9 Clemson 34-10. The win ignites Alabama's comeback big time as it wins 12 regular-season games. Clemson splits completely and the coach fires Tommy Bowden.
2009. Week 1. Atlanta. Fifth-ranked Alabama beat seventh-ranked Virginia Tech 34-24. Alabama won its first national championship under Saban, while the Hokies faded into a season of three losses.
2013. Week 1. Atlanta. No. 1 Alabama 35, Virginia Tech 10.
2014. Week 1. Atlanta. No. 2 Alabama 33, West Virginia 23.
2019. 2019. Week 1. Atlanta. No. 2 Alabama 49, Duke 3.
And those are just the games played in Atlanta. The largest neutral-site victories occurred in Orlando and Texas. 20 was USC's 52-6 thrashing in 2016, 2012 and Michigan and Wisconsin's '15 beatdown, both in Arlington, Texas. And then the worst hit of them all, a 17-point victory over No. 3 Florida State in Orlando that marked the end of Jimbo Fisher's time with the Seminoles.
Every early-acting fight in Atlanta, or Orlando, or Arlington has served the ultimate purpose of having someone in its place. Maybe it was an old-school powerhouse that needed to be told that Alabama was real. Maybe it was an upstart that thought it might be able to crash the Alabama playoff blockade. Perhaps it was just a demonstration in front of a nation of recruits, especially those living in the neighborhood of teams that had been crushed by the Tide.
And at least in some respects, it has felt like Saban has let the entire convention know that its best team isn't ready for SEC prime time yet.
Saturday's win over Miami felt like it was covering all of the above.
So the thousands of Alabama fans who walked Peachtree Street on Saturday night were celebrating the victory, but also mourning the loss of days like this. Now, after a decade of neutral-site openers, Alabama has booked home and home series with Power 5 opponents until 2035.
Would it be worth losing the $5 million that Bama got from the people of Atlanta every September? They say yes by bringing more value to Tuscaloosa season-ticket holders.
Fair enough. But will it be worth losing the established mojo and sent messages during this 11-0 season-opening streak?
"I won't worry too much about Coach Saban in the future," Miami head coach Manny Diaz said with a laugh. "Things are working out for him so far."