Alabama football: 5 best seasons in program history

4. 1979

Record: 12-0 | Finish: National Champions, beat Arkansas 24-9 in Sugar Bowl

Considering that Bear Bryant won six National Championships while at the helm in Tuscaloosa, it stands to reason that he’ll appear multiple times on this list (twice, in fact). The first appearance that he makes is the 1979 team which, incidentally, was the last Crimson Tide team that the legendary head coach led to a title.

As was often the case under Bryant, the Alabama defense was undeniably elite in the 1979 season. Only two teams that the Crimson Tide faced managed to reach double digits as the elite unit led by Don McNeal, Jim Bunch and Dwight Stephenson allowed only 5.6 points per game on the year and only trailed twice on the season.

It should be noted that their perfect season was in jeopardy on a couple of occasions as the times they trailed against Tennessee and Auburn were games that were seriously in doubt for Bama. Ultimately, however, they overcame any adversity they faced and ended the year with a dominant victory over Arkansas to capture a perfect 12-0 season and the natty.

When it comes to the great Alabama football teams and ranking them against one another, you have to split some hairs. And many would have the 1979 team higher. However, while they only trailed twice all season, the fact that this iteration of the Crimson Tide had three close calls on the season ultimately knocks them down to No. 4 on this list. Even then, that’s still a high honor considering the history of this program.