Who was/is the better coach: Bear Bryant or Nick Saban?

#1
V

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Doctorate in Volology
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#1
As Vol fans, we are reluctant to give the devils their due and I realize that this may not be a pleasant topic to discuss for that reason. However, I am curious to see what your opinions are with respect to the following question: Whose achievements impress you more, those of Bear Bryant or Nick Saban? Personally, I would give Saban's four national championships at two different SEC programs in a decade the edge. Obviously, he cannot yet match the longevity of Bryant, but the Bear coached for most of his career in an era of relatively unlimited scholarship numbers. The level of dominance that Saban has achieved is, from my perspective, more impressive in an era when spread offenses equalize talent somewhat and scholarship numbers are strictly capped at 85 max. In any event, I will be interested to read your opinions, particularly those of graybeards like myself who remember quite well Bryant's reign of terror in the 1970s.
 
#4
#4
gotta agree. Saban.

Though I will give it to bryant. a title at KY is something impressive, regardless of the era.
 
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#6
#6
In all honesty I would have to say "to be determined." Saban still has some years in him but if you really wanna compare the two, compare Saban's years at Mich. St. vs Bear's tenure at KY. Could Saban win an SEC championship at piss poor KY? Who knows. I love speculating about this kinda stuff though
 
#7
#7
I like your first answer immensely. Bryant built Kentucky into a short-lived power in the SEC but that was the pre-integration era too. Kentucky's weak instate recruiting base, in terms of top-tier African-American football prospects, would not have made itself felt on the gridiron under those circumstances. You might say that Bryant's success at Kentucky was achieved on an artificially leveled playing field.
 
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#9
#9
hard to say.

saban would not have at least one national title under the old rules as opposed to the bcs.

i could argue he would only have 1 and it may have been a split title
 
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#12
#12
Didn't Bryant win everywhere he went? Saban has been successful but not a champion at each stop, so it would seem Bryant even though he couldn't beat the General.
 
#15
#15
YorkVol said:
Didn't Bryant win everywhere he went? Saban has been successful but not a champion at each stop, so it would seem Bryant even though he couldn't beat the General.
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You do realize Bryant only coached against Neyland maybe 6-7 times while at UK...that's all.

Regarding the rest of your post, Saban has done pretty well at each of HC gigs, comparable to Bryant. Saban has won a national championship at 2 schools.
 
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#16
#16
YorkVol said:
Didn't Bryant win everywhere he went? Saban has been successful but not a champion at each stop, so it would seem Bryant even though he couldn't beat the General.
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To varying degrees, yes, Bryant was successful at each stop. He was 6-2-1 in his one season at Maryland (1945), 60–23–6 at Kentucky (including a conference championship and their highest ranking, 7th) in 1950, but he was only 22–19–4 in the SEC while coaching the Blue Bellied boys. At Texas A&M, he was 25–14–2 overall and 14-9-1 in conference play, including a conference championship in 1956 (Bear Bryant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
 
#17
#17
I cannot think of any sports debate that I have less interest in, but I still opened the thread. It's like staring at a car wreck.

Comparing Bama's two best coaches, and doing it while they're on top, and we're at the bottom, makes me :sick:.
 
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#18
#18
99gator said:
hard to say.

saban would not have at least one national title under the old rules as opposed to the bcs.

i could argue he would only have 1 and it may have been a split title
Click to expand...

I need you to explain your theory. Which titles would he have missed out on in the old system, other than '04?
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#20
#20
bamawriter said:
I need you to explain your theory. Which titles would he have missed out on in the old system, other than '04?
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Just a guess on my part, but under the old system where the SEC champ goes to the Sugar Bowl, it's highly unlikely that they would want to have LSU in a rematch with Alabama. In that case it would have probably been LSU vs Okla St for the chmpionship.
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#21
#21
bamawriter said:
I need you to explain your theory. Which titles would he have missed out on in the old system, other than '04?
Posted via VolNation Mobile
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12-ND was undefeated
11- LSU was undefeated

By the old rules-they are NC

Doesn't matter though, you guys would still claim them. LOL
 
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#22
#22
bamawriter said:
I need you to explain your theory. Which titles would he have missed out on in the old system, other than '04?
Posted via VolNation Mobile
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during some of bear's time, the national title was given before the bowl. so, that would have caused some problems. then, there is the old bowl system

2003 season. this was a split title as it is. without the bcs and lsu playing oklahoma, i don't know if they get the votes over usc on the coach's side. just a possibility

2009 season. alabama and texas would not have played one another. alabama would have at least earned a split title, if not the whole thing. but, it's also possible the title would be split.

2011 season. no way in hell. lsu would have played someone else in bear's era. no doubt in my mind. the only way bama wins the title is if someone else beat lsu and then there would have been a whole voting dilemma. because of conference tie ins, i'm not sure lsu would have played someone good enough to do it.

2012 season. alabama would have gone to the sugar. notre dame could have chosen to duck alabama and go to another bowl. not saying notre dame would have ducked alabama, but that kind of crap used to happen. if notre dame goes somewhere else and wins, they are champ.

sometimes the old system worked to a school's advantage, sometimes it doesn't.

florida doesn't win the national title in 1996 without the format that existed at that time. any earlier or later in time, they don't get a rematch with fsu. today, fsu would have played arizona state and that would have been it.

under the old system in 2006, #1 ohio state goes to the rose bowl. maybe they beat usc, maybe they don't. but, it would have been out of their control.

under the old system in 2008, oklahoma goes to the orange bowl and florida goes to the sugar bowl. who knows how the voters would vote?

basically, under the old system, in most years if you weren't #1 going into the bowl, winning a national title was usually out of your control.

i don't know how often that worked to bear bryant's benefit or detriment
 
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#23
#23
Most of the youngsters on here will say Saban because they have seen Saban win. But both of them has been to programs and turned them all around. Bryant has more NC's though. Bryant is such a mythical legend, that John Wayneish Ora about him. A god even. Saban is just a angry little elf that wins ha ha ha ha!! No seriously you look at both of their body of work it's remarkable. It was once said about Bryant, "He can take his and beat yours. Take yours and beat his"
Just because of historical legend and because he learned from the best Neyland I'm going with Bryant
 
#25
#25
MyBloodRunnethOrange said:
Just a guess on my part, but under the old system where the SEC champ goes to the Sugar Bowl, it's highly unlikely that they would want to have LSU in a rematch with Alabama. In that case it would have probably been LSU vs Okla St for the chmpionship.
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Not true. Depending on when we're talking about, Ok St would have been contractually bound to the Orange and Bama likely would have gotten the at large spot in the Sugar. The Sugar has been played between two SEC teams on a few occasions.

If it had been during the brief Alliance/Coalition days, Bama would definitely have gotten in as they were #2 in both polls.
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