It was right there in front of them. The Duke Blue Devils had the best player in college basketball in freshman phenom Cooper Flagg. They had control of those feisty Houston Cougars in the Final Four, until they did not... Duke bowed out to Houston in San Antonio, two days before the Cougars unraveled in the final minutes vs. the Florida Gators in the national championship. What a Final Four!
So with basketball season firmly behind us and college football spring practice full steam ahead, leave it to CFB Reddit to figure out who the Duke of college football is. The obvious answer was the Alabama Crimson Tide. Clearly, we were looking for a team that wins a ton, but also elicits a certain reaction from the masses when they lose. Beyond the obvious, there were three other teams listed.
Admittedly, I was kind of hoping to see my alma mater of Georgia among the most hated, but the Dawgs were probaly the next team listed. After Alabama, the most common teams CFB Reddit mentioned were the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns. I completely with those three as well. However, I think delineating between those four is a tad tricky.
I know that Georgia and the Kansas City Chiefs are equivalents, but what about Alabama and Duke?
What makes Alabama football and Duke basketball one and the same?
The reason why Alabama football and Duke basketball feel like they are one and the same is they both give off similar vibes. Trenched in winning tradition and being able to recruit nationally at such a high level has often set them apart. However, I would argue Duke was not winning national titles until some 35 years ago, whereas Alabama has won them since the dawn of time. There is also this thing...
Duke gives off the impression of being elitist, as it is one of the most sought after private schools in the country. For lack of a better word, nobody cared about academics at Alabama until the Nick Saban effect had run its course to increase awareness, interest and enrollment at the school outside of just those hailing from the Yellowhammer State. I would say Duke and Alabama match decently.
In terms of winning a ton, but never being satisfied, I can certainly get behind the Ohio State point. It is not a perfect match, but they are compatible. Notre Dame has the winning tradition, the academics and the private school nature of Duke. The only differences are Duke has won more of late and Notre Dame refuses to join a conference. As for Texas, nobody thinks higher of themselves than they do.
To really tie a bow on this, the most obvious choice is the right one. Alabama and Duke were made for each other. Juggernauts at what they do in the college sport of their choice in the southeastern footprint of the United States of Amerrica. While Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas elicit similar reactions when they lose, we wanted Saban to retire like we did Mike Krzyzewski a few years before.
Again, it is not a perfect match, but Alabama football is the closest thing we have to Duke basketball.