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

2. 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: 14-0 | Def. Texas, 37-21, in BCS National Championship Game

You never forget your first and, while beating Texas to win the BCS National Championship after the 2009 season wasn’t Nick Saban’s first title in his coaching career, it was his first since taking up residence in Tuscaloosa. And the other reason that no one will ever forget it is just how good this team was on both sides of the ball.

It should be said that this was well before Saban adopted the principles of modern offense that rely heavily on the passing attack, which is why the offense was predicated upon Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, the former winning the Heisman Trophy and the duo combining for over 2,400 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground for the year, rather than quarterback Greg McElroy.

While the offense still averaged over 32 points per game and ranked in the top 25 in the country for points per game, it was the defense that was the driving force behind the perfect season. Led by a group of stars including Rolando McClain, Marcell Dareus, Javier Arenas and many others, the Crimson Tide ranked second in the country in scoring defense, allowing only 11.7 points per game.

Alabama was far from perfect in the 2009 season, narrowly getting past Tennessee early in the year. However, when they hit their stride, no one was touching them, as evidenced by a dominant SEC Championship Game win over a highly-touted Florida team and then manhandling the Longhorns to capture the title. With a steady offense and elite defense, it’s hard to imagine many teams holding a candle to this perfect season that started Saban’s historic run.