re: Five candidates have emerged in Stanley "Skip" Bertman's head coaching search

Saban has lucked out with some banner in-state classes during his time at Bama. He's also the best recruiter in the last 20 years of college football so no matter where he ended up, his re-introduction into the SEC would have been successful if not dominant. In that sense I agree that Bama offered no long-term, intrinsic advantages.

That said, for all their faults and laughable historical claims, Bama's historical success begets future dominance. They don't share the inferiority complex that many LSU fans have, and therefore they would inevitably revert to the success they expect to have. Bama fans would never settle for an AD who suggests the goal is merely to be in the contention for championships. Alleva is actually not incorrect in a sense, but to articulate that is to understand an inherent complacency in the fanbase. A Bama AD would be crucified and summarily teabagged for publicly expressing that sentiment.