Alabama football: 5 best seasons in program history

3. 1992

Record: 13-0 | Finish: National Champions, beat Miami (FL) 34-13 in Sugar Bowl

In the wake of losing Bear Bryant, Alabama football found itself trying to regain its footing as a national powerhouse. Ray Perkins and Bill Curry were unable to do so. But once Gene Stallings, who actually played for Bryant at Texas A&M in the 1950s, got the job in 1990, he was able to get the job done within three years as he led the Crimson Tide to the mountaintop once again, the first time since Bryant had left.

Stallings clearly had the Tide on the rise through his first two seasons as Bama entered the 1992 campaign as the No. 9 ranked team in college football. But even though they were taking care of business to start the year, it took until midseason for them to start climbing in the polls. They fully proved themselves with big wins against the two ranked opponents they faced in the regular season, Tennessee and Mississippi State. They did so again in the SEC Championship Game as they topped Florida, 28-21.

Throughout the year, Alabama’s calling card was an elite defense. Led by eventual first-round NFL Draft picks Eric Curry and John Copeland, the Crimson Tide conceded fewer than 10 points per game. However, the question was if they could carry that into the Sugar Bowl against top-ranked Miami, the defending National Champions, and Heisman-winning quarterback Gino Toretta.

The Crimson Tide did so with aplomb. Yes, Toretta threw for almost 300 yards but it was largely fruitless as he also tossed three interceptions, all of which led to Bama touchdowns. In fact, the Tide didn’t allow a single offensive touchdown in a 34-13 rout of the Hurricanes, cementing themselves as one of the best defenses in college football history and earning their spot on this list.