2011 Capital One Bowl - Alabama vs. Michigan State 

That is a testament to the quality of running backs that Nick Saban has been able to recruit since he arrived at Alabama. It really is amazing. Just look at what we have had in the last 5 years. Ingram (Heisman), Richardson (Maxwell), Lacy (1st or 2nd round pick), Jalston Fowler (Reminds me of Mike Alstott), Yeldon (TBD but will have a great career), Dee Hart (has potential), Kenyan Drake (solid). That doesn't even cover the incoming talent for this year. The talent pool at RB is incredible.

Arenas was an underrated Corner I think. He doesn't quite have the typical Corner build. But I think he would start over any of the Corners we have currently based on his raw talent and play making ability alone. He was an outstanding defensive player and an electrifying kick returner for sure. Our defensive secondary is not on the same level as that 2009 team. That was arguably the best defense Alabama has ever had. We could use Maze right now with all the injuries at the receiver position.

Saban said after this game that Cousins came up to him and said coach I don't see how you lost 3 games this year and Saban responded with I don't see how you won 11.

I have watched this game a dozen times and it the most dominating performance I have seen in college football..BTW pull the roster on this team and most of those Bama players went on the NFL

The frustration of the 2010 season was taken out on MSU that day. I was there and it was freakin' hot.

There were a lot of NFL players on that field.

""The Body Bag Bowl"

7:56 is like the best thing ever. Legen... dary.

Truly agree with you. I think they will have a great season next year too. They have great players and coaches. Good recruit that will pay off. Missing the Tide playing each Saturday

It was a disappointment but this bowl win proved that the composition of this team was very capable of taking it all the way. Just goes to show you how important consistency and focus is. Complacency is the biggest threat to great football teams.

Alabama gets to do the same to them in the semifinal this year!

You got that right. We have a great coach and he has assembled great players every year since he's been in Tuscaloosa. I think nobody could have imagined the amount of success and prestige Nick Saban would bring to Alabama football in such a short amount of time. RTR

whenever i think about michigan's brutal loss to the tide, its good to know i can always watch this to make myself feel alot better! :D

I think you are absolutely correct. Michigan State is the caliber of competition Notre Dame is used to playing against. Alabama showed how much they outclass that level of competition in this game. And we had two losses this year! LOL The Irish are in for a rude awakening. ROLL TIDE

The tide was banged up for sure in 2010 , but I can say 3 out of 4 yrs the tide has been on top and in this capital 1 bowl healthy experienced ,and well prepared I don't think anyone could've beat this team

Yeah this month long wait for the title game is brutal. But really our guys need the time to rest and heal. So it will be worth it in the end. That's what the highlight videos are good for. They help to pass the time.

Remind me again. How did that whole dual threat QB thing work out in the national championship game this year? As I recall it looked more like no threat rather than dual threat but my recollection is a bit hazy. Perhaps you saw things differently.

I think Dee Hart has the potential to be that electrifying kick returner that we have been missing. He showed glimpses of it in the A-Day game and early in the season before his injury. He's compact and has a burst ability like Arenas does. When he returns from injury next year I think he will be one of our main return guys assuming his knee is back to 100% functionality. I hope Saban gives him a shot because he has some speed that the other returners can't quite match.

Of course. And what notable teams does USC play against this year?

@ MauricXe... To address your point, in my opinion clearly there is no way to put a blanket statement on the argument that one conference should always outrank another in all situations. But the simple fact remains that recent history indicates that the SEC as a whole is undoubtedly a step above all the other major conferences. Based on that, given a 2 loss SEC team and a 1 loss Big10 team at the end of the season. I would rank the SEC team ahead of the Big10 team. Rebuttal?

No doubt. The Oline present some pretty big question marks. Jones, Fluker, and Warmack being gone is going to be hard to overcome. It is practically impossible to replace players with that level of talent with players that are immediately capable of continuing the level of play that the former players did. Saban has done well replacing some impact players on the line before but never three of them in one season.

It depends. I agree that a schedule in the SEC > B1G. I would also say the SEC champ should get the nod over a B1G champ in the title game. But I hesitate to make a general statement about rankings of other teams. For instance, would we rank a one loss OSU team under a two loss Arkansas? Or perhaps a one loss Wisconsin over a two loss Georgia?

liked the vid. just wish you included the punt on 4th and goal.. sums up the game for me :) also, i could watch 7:58 all day. really enjoyed the kind of player mcelroy was. and that block was awesome.

If we can rebuild the offensive line and can avoid having so many injuries like we did this year, we could have the best offense in college football next year. There is no doubt that we have a big time playmaker in Amari Cooper. Deandrew White has that ability too. Put those two and Chris Black on the field at the same time. That is enough to give defensive coordinators nightmares. I hope AJ McCarron sticks around for that. He would have fun throwing the ball with so many weapons to choose from.

Kind of a smart idea actually. I'm sure gameday will be there. They have a pretty solid stadium with a great atmosphere, and usually their team feeds off of the crowds emotion (ex: ND 2010, Wisconsin 2011..)..Plus it can sell a lot to the recruits. I wouldn't mark it down as a W just yet, a lot can happen in a time span, I honestly don't even know if Saban will be here when we play them. Its just relieving though that we're finally bringing back the days when we would play anyone.

I agree. I don't think it's over confident to be certain that we can beat Notre Dame. If you look at the make up of both teams from top to bottom, we have an edge in almost every category. Talent, depth, speed, size, experience, strength of schedule, and statistically. I think we are gonna roll the Irish like we did LSU in the Championship, like we did Florida in the 2009 SEC Championship and like we did Auburn the last two years. ROLL TIDE!!!

This would turn out to be Sparty's last bowl loss. They have won three straight bowl games since this loss.

This Bama team had like 10 first round picks on it . Just crazy stacked! Lets hope MSU can fare better this year! Go Green!

When I watch this, the words "clinic" and "woodshed" come to mind.

They should have beat Auburn especially. They had them on the ropes in the first half. But there again I think the mental and emotional issues spoiled our efforts in the second half. You are right though on the injuries on that season as a whole. The injuries did pile up. Although depth at receiver, running back, and in the defensive secondary was certainly an issue because of injuries. I think that is where the mental and emotional aspect of the game is so important.

I agree with you in part but the loss to South Carolina that year had little to do with injury as it occurred earlier in the season as I recall. I may be wrong. But to me that loss sticks out as having more to do with complacency than anything else. The team that year had so much physical talent and experience but there were some games where it seemed like they just didn't show up mentally and emotionally. That and the defensive secondary was very young at that point.

yes I agree , the 9 def starters replaced from 2009 really was tough, but The injuries piled up , they could've beat Aub and Lsu , though ,both Hightower and Upshaw were playing with injuries as well as groups of others ,I remember Mich st coach saying they were by far the best team he had seen all year, after this demolition

Now Ohio State might have deserved to be in the BCS on paper but without them playing the conference Championship you can't say for sure that they would have remained undefeated. Given the way Alabama played on January 7th, I don't think it matters. Its not a stretch to say that they outcome between OSU and Bama would have been no different. The Crimson Tide played lights out that night. I doubt anybody could beat them that night given the amount of time they had to prepare their gameplan.

Yes? I did see him play a few games before he was injured. Yes he's not a big guy but does have an impact like you said. Arenas was not big either. I hope he does return because we have several seniors leaving. I think Cooper will be another Julio jones in that position. He's doing an outstanding job as a freshman already. Perhaps White and Bell will resume as well. All great players there too.

Then who was it that they lost to? I know MSU wasn't undefeated in the Big Ten before their arrival and disposal in the Capital One Bowl. Then again my memory isn't always that accurate. Do tell tonetodd23... You seem to be an authority on the topic.

the sec is obviously a superpower and as a msu fan I respect alabama. Looking forward to the meeting between michigan state and alabama in 2016. good luck in the championship game saturday

Look close at the logo at midfield. It says Orlando. I don't think they have ever played the Capital One Bowl in Hawaii.

5:47 "Here comes the HEAT....and there goes the ball!!".....beautiful.

I'm a Tide fan all the way and while the 2010 season is viewed as a disappointment, this is one of the biggest beat downs I've ever seen against a conference champion.

Ah the famous 4th goal to go punt game. I don’t recall ever seeing this again since then.

Yeah I really hope we get a piece of Oklahoma again while Saban is still around. We played them during the some of the worst years in Alabama football history. I actually went to that first game in Oklahoma. The atmosphere was great and we had every opportunity to win that game but choked on too many key possessions, which was all too common in that era. I know if we play Oklahoma with Saban at the helm the atmosphere will be even better and victory much more likely than it was in the past.

Sure wish we had that defense now 2019 RTR

Who did Michigan State loose to that year?

I second the notion about Saban potentially not being here by the time 2016-2017 comes around. But you have to admit that we probably wouldn't be scheduling a home and home with MSU if Saban wasn't here. He is a former MSU guy after all. When teams like this play Alabama they know going in that they are likely to get beat. They play Alabama for the exposure. I think Saban will stick around until that series has concluded. That said a lot can happen between now and then. So we will see.

Yeah I think Cousins had fractured ribs after this game. Alabama really put on a clinic against Michigan State in this game. Out classed them in every phase of the game. I think Nick Saban probably even told the guys to take it easy in the 4th quarter which let which eventually allowed them to score so they wouldn't feel so bad.

Actually you are correct. I was at this game and there was a malfunction in the communications equipment. The refs made both sides remove headsets until the problem was resolved, I know this because they announced it during the game. Excuses, excuses... Pathetic. I can't wait to watch USC get smash by the first SEC team they play against. I will be thinking of you when it happens. ;-)

Actually I think Alabama's schedule is more favorable in 2013 than it was in 2012. The only major hurdle is the away game at TAMU who we play after a bye. Other than that we have LSU at home (minus their 8 juniors that entered the draft) after a bye and Tennessee at home. No Florida, South Carolina, or Georgia. That is an easy schedule by SEC standards.

Well technically coaches only have direct control over the scheduling of their non-conference opponents. They can schedule easy non-conference opponents. The rest is all predetermined based on the conference and divisional match up rotation (excluding traditional rivalries of course). So coaches can't exactly schedule an easy year. It just happens sometimes. At least that's how it works in the SEC. I don't know how you do it in the Big 10 with your new conference and divisional configuration.

Yeah this was a really bad day for sparty. They had a great year by MSU standards and they turned a lot of heads, but this was just an example of the sheer power of the SEC though. I had no expectations of a win going into this game, MSU played a really easy schedule last year with their toughest games being ND, Wisco and Iowa (only loss until this game). They weren't prepared for a team at this level, still proud of what they accomplished however and I think they're a program on the rise.

That's exactly why i believe Alabama will beat ND with everythingn you just mentioned. The talent,depth,speed,size & especially the eexperience i just don't see ND winning against UA, I do think Alabama's secondary will show up & I've heard rumors that both Jalston Folwer & Kenny Bell are suppose to be returning

Nevertless we are a good program.. Eddie Lacey was told not to score but it just happened the whole was there... Giving a late touchdown to show respect although knocking out at least 3 QBs though our defense was relentless

You are probably right. I can't believe Bama scheduled a Home and Home with the Spartans. Saban must have some sort of ulterior motives. Probably want's to hit the recruiting trail in that area hard. Otherwise I see no real upside to scheduling that series.

Gotta love that Saban's biggest post-game priority was getting his hair straight.

MSU head coach D'Antonio to Alabama head coach Saban: "How did you lose three games with that team?" Alabama head coach Saban to MSU head coach D'Antonio: "How did you win eleven games with that team?"

Wisconsin, if memory serves me right. But I may be incorrect. I think they only had one Big Ten loss that year.

Roll Tide. Looking forward to the season opener vs. Michigan Wolverines. Here's hoping for a similar result.

You got that right! ROLL TIDE all the way to another National Championship!

It takes good coaching, successful game plans, and team work by the players to be a complete team like bama. Roll tide.

well, where every the this game is played at. hopefully it be a great game between the two of the best college programs

Last I checked Cam didnt play defense in 2010 or ever. Auburn had like 3 first round picks on the defensive side of the ball that year so lets not take things out of context. One player doesn't beat any team. That's all there is to it. And although it is true that the players play the game not the coaches, tell that to Nick Saban's 4, repeat FOUR National Championship rings. Coaches matter especially great coaches. Auburn and Arkansas are at least 2 seasons from being back in the mix in the SEC.

@8:39 McElroy's arm is so underrated

If Fowler and Bell play, that relieves some of our depth issues at receiver and running back making our offense even more potent. Can you believe that some Notre Dame fans actually think their defense can shut Alabama out? LOL Roll Tide.

i go to MSU, and even i know NO B1G team has a shot (as we stand) to compete with the SEC, especially the tide. it's almost ridiculous, they are almost at a NFL level (albeit a bad team like the Jags). they are just bigger and faster in the SEC than in the midwest. we are more academics based, while SEC is college sports. its like putting a big time texas high school football team against a private school from wisconsin

Oh Jim Mcelwain...we really miss you!!

I remember being legitimately concerned for Kirk Cousins by the 3rd Qtr of this game...Courtney Upshaw could've damn near been charged with Assault against several of the Spartans players...He was outstanding all game long...This Bama team had no business screwing around like they did during this particular season...Far too talented of a team to make it to a lower tier bowl game...Regardless, they showed a little pride and finished their season off the correct way.

Got 14?

Probably not, but I don't think we would also be scheduling Colorado State too because we wouldn't have the Jim Mclewain ties..I mean back in 02-03 we played Oklahoma, '00 and '02 I believe we played UCLA.

as a big ten fan i wanted sparty to win but as a michigan fan i loved every minute of this game just an ass whoopin bama gave them

You're that awkward moment when someone farts in a crowded elevator

Okay this video is unbelievable

Actually Alabama has just as much of a chance to still get in the BCS game as they did last year. So all is not lost. Just have to handle business for the next three games and we are still in a good position.

Agreed. The statistical comparison of Mosley and Te'O shows that Mosley is the better linebacker. He leads TeO in most statistical categories. TeO is like everything with Notre Dame. It's all hype. They have to hype up Notre Dame and make them appear to be better than they are just to boost their visibility and TV viewership.Without the hype their mediocre schedule would expose them for what they really are. Weak. Thats why they wont join a conference. They couldnt compete in a major conference.

alabama went through michigan state like soggy spaghetti, alabama just demolished sparty and rung kirk cousins bell. for sparty its gotta hurt to have such a devastating end to a great season like that(technically one of the best in school history)

Correction. 2016 and 2017.

yeah, having one of the top 4 winningest programs in college football history, with the most championships and bowl wins may be a better gauge.....

continued: you did not address the original discussion you had interrupted. Should all northern teams be ranked below southern teams? to make it more interesting, should all SEC teams be ranked higher? Judging from your last paragraph, the answer is no. If that's the case then we have nothing else to discuss on that matter. One last thing about UGA/MSU...MSU isn't a great team either. They don't have the talent of most elite teams. So it would appear UGA and MSU are at best even.

the oline takes a while to get all the work to be a starter ,Warmack was the no1 guard out of hs , as was Fluker, at tackle and Barrett Jones is one of the best Olineman ever in Bama history , hope Saban can plug those awesome shoes, I really think this Oline was really the best Bama ever had , at least all the yrs Ive been watching

No it was in Florida as I recall.

12:00 What a run!

I'm so glad bama is off probation in 2007 and nick saban has built bama up since then. RollTide!!!!

Probably so. Just like that loss to Utah provided the motivation for the 2009 Championship.

This is true as I recall. He threw for one and didn't a running back one? Or did he throw the second one too... LOL you'd think I could remember seeing as how they only scored twice.

Eddie Lacy scored a touchdown in this game, holy shit.

Right Arenas was the guy to make so many punt return. He was good. Maze is good too made some returns but he was a good receiver and barely make mistakes. Wish he had another year in hehe. The two boys now jones needs to learn to maintain the balls. Always dropping then. Hardly have many yard returns. Maybe in time they will get better.

Alabama really did roll in this game. Bama under achieved that year in my mind and my Spartans over achieved. Saban and the SEC is just superior in every way and to think Mark Ingram was almost a Spartan.

Seriously outclassed...

The powerful team they were Bama. OAN: wish we have a Arenas and Maze this season. The two we have aren't as dominate.

I think ND will get the same treatment this Monday as Michigan State got in this game from Alabama. ROLL TIDE #15

It would depend on who the two loses were to. If Arkansas lost to the SEC and National Champion and the second best team in the SEC; and OSU lost to a team in the regular season that went on to lose the conference and bowl game, or even if they lose the conference but won the bowl game. Then I place Arkansas over OSU. If OSU loses to a team that wins the conference and Bowl and Arkansas loses to a team that loses the division. Then I might be persuaded to rank the Big10 team ahead. Tough call.

Oh yeah I heard about that. What was that AD at Michigan State thinking? Didn't they get enough of a beating in the Capital One bowl? It's not going to be any better the next time around... Oh well. You can mark that down as a W already.

Is that why Georgia won their bowl game against MSU this year?

It's in Dallas.

As an MSU fan, i have to say my asshole still hurts from this game.

...continued: All you have shown is that MSU was ranked to high. IPwbeasty thinks that no northern team is better than, or at least deserving of a higher ranking than a southern team. However, I provided a counter example which disproved his argument.

anybody else see that bone crushing hit at 7:37

The Empire Conference - The SEC...Can't mess with us.

Why is alabama afraid to play wisconsin? Upset?

2010 was Bamas off yr , mainly a lot of injuries at mid/late season hurt bamas chance to be a National champ 4 yrs straight . but 3 of 4 is really excellent ,this was a complete demolition of a 1 loss Mich st team , and Bama national champs in 2011 and 2012 , shutting out LSU 21-0 then Notre Dame got hammered 42-14 , Saban likes playing physical and from seeing this Mich st couldn't tackle then Notre Dame couldn't tackle Bama any better you can tell why the SEC has won 7 NC in a row

Bama has not had a rb that hasn't been a 1st round pick yet , and Lacy really exploded the last 3 games of 2012 , Lacy could've easily had 1700 yds if not for Yeldon being so good , replacing all those 1st rounders on the Oline will be a test next yr

I miss having guys like Ingram, Richardson, and Lacy. Yeldon is good but he hesitates at the line too much and lacks ball security. The same could be said for Drake too.