This is not directed at anyone in particular, but 2 days after the fact I am growing kind of weary of the discussion reifying the idea that Bama and the SEC are at a different level than ND and the rest of college football.
Alabama beat us easily because of some combination of at least 4 factors:
1) They executed. I didn’t watch too many of their games this year but from what I saw we got one of their best games of the year. If they played against us like they did against A&M things would have been very different.
2) ND played poorly. We just didn’t have a great game, as has been mentioned here—tackling was awful, our linebackers looked lost, Golson made some bad throws, we didn’t convert on some fourth downs, etc.
3) They got some game-changing breaks early. The fumbled punt stands out, obviously. That's a game changer.
4) They are more talented. This is undeniable, but it’s not shocking. We entered this season with a redshirt FR at qb, an entirely new secondary after Slaughter went out, inexperienced WRs, a thin offensive line and depleted special teams. Bama has a truckload of experienced, elite players across the field. Their offensive line dominated the game.
The point here is that #4, talent, was not the only reason we lost. If we played better, they played badly, and we got a couple of breaks we could have beaten Alabama. Moving forward, Alabama will certainly be good next year, but I don’t think they’ll be close to this year’s team after they lose 3 O linemen and multiple D linemen to the draft. Becoming a great team takes a combination of experience and talent – my prediction is that they’ll take a step back next year, despite their soft schedule.
Meanwhile, the gap in talent and depth is closing. In my mind, we will have our most talented team in a long while next year. We’ll likely take a step backward the following year with the loss of so many linemen, but our talent level will still be on the rise. When the combination of talent and experience converges, which could happen next year, 3 years down the line, or some other time, ND can play with anyone.
Alabama destroyed us, but let’s not overreact. They were a better team this year, they caught some breaks, and they played a much better game. They are not invincible.
