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

5. 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: 13-1 | Def. Notre Dame, 42-14, in BCS National Championship Game

For all of the success that Alabama has enjoyed under Nick Saban’s watch, it should be said that this the only team to ever accomplish the feat of winning back-to-back championships. They were better offensively than they were in the previous year when they beat LSU to win the title but, even though they had the nation’s top scoring defense, they were slightly worse on that side of the ball.

It’s not hard to see why the Crimson Tide saw an uptick in offense from the previous year, though. Not only did AJ McCarron have another year of experience while Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon formed a two-headed monster in the backfield that combined for over 2,400 yards and 32 total touchdowns but they also had the arrival of Amari Cooper to bolster the passing game further.

The defense did allow more than two points more per game than they did in the 2011 season but was still dominant as they gave up an average of only 10.9 points per contest.

Having said that, where this team did fall short was in terms of SEC dominance. Their loss in the regular season came when Johnny Manziel accomplished the impossible with a star-making performance. Moreover, the Crimson Tide were actually just a few yards away from losing the SEC Championship Game to Georgia and not even making the BCS National Championship Game.

Ultimately, though, they proved their dominance with a rout of Notre Dame. And even if they aren’t in the four best title-winners Saban has coached in Tuscaloosa, capturing a championship is better than not.