Alabama football: Ranking Nick Saban’s championship teams with Crimson Tide

6. 2017 Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: 13-1 | Def. Georgia, 26-23, in CFP National Championship

Looking back at the history of college football, there aren’t many teams that you would consider better than the 2017 Alabama Crimson Tide. The shear amount of talent on that roster is enough for anyone to make that case. Having said that, when you compare it to the other teams that won a title under Saban with the program, they ultimately fall a bit short.

Armed with elite talents such as Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Calvin Ridley, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Da’Ron Payne and many more on both sides of the ball, the Tide were high-caliber on both sides of the ball. And that undoubtedly showed up, especially in big moments, such as the National Championship Game win over rival Georgia when Tua took over for the second half, leading to an unforgettable comeback and overtime win.

The fact that Bama needed to come back against the Bulldogs, however, is a big part of the reason why they are the bottom-ranked team in terms of Saban’s title-winners with the program. They needed a mid-game quarterback switch to catch Georgia off guard and get the win that gave them the title.

Furthermore, the one loss on the season wasn’t a narrow one as they lost to Auburn, 26-14, in the Iron Bowl that year. This was a team that, at their best, was obviously the best in the country. But they also clearly were not at their best for much of the year. Don’t let their ranking diminish how good they were on a larger scale but, in terms of Alabama under Saban, this is the right spot.