re: What’s preventing Alabama from reaching national bandwagon fan status like Miami

The serious answer is Starter jackets went out of style

Exactly. I'd be hard pressed to find anyone who would know who Fitzpatrick is.

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I'm not a lazy half arse CFB fan.

I just don't live in the South and watch Bama that much because their games are over after the 1st quarter.

But if you have watched the last 3 playoffs and Natty's and still don't know the guy - he's not a household name outside rival Bama fans like LSU and Auburn.

He's not a national superstar...just a local hero.

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I am agreeing with you You have to really follow college football, and moreso sec football to know minkah. Hell even Henry and Ingram felt relatively unknown and they won the heisman. That's the way Saban wants it

Starter jackets have nothing to do with this

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Channing Tatum

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From Cullman, Alabama.

Bama is still a "Southern brand" and will always be...given history and what they are identified with.

I don't think they can escape that past with the general public.

Texas got a pass, IDK why but they got a pass in history...and Alabama is always used at the Poster Child of Racism in football. They've even written books about it. The day Alabama gave up...or the Day they integrated...Sam Bam...whatever...after they got butt-whooped again.

Despite a lot of schools being white - You think of non-integration in college football - the general public thinks of Alabama.

That's the public image.

I know I was joking earlier...but seriously...some of it is no joke. know why the state of Alabama loves the school's success despite never ever ever ever setting foot in a classroom...

Because it reflects good on the University against all the negative perceptions.

But Bama's never gonna be some big national brand...like I said, they have TOO MUCH BAGGAGE.

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The day Alabama gave up...or the Day they integrated...Sam Bam...whatever...after they got butt-whooped again.

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Which is a myth. Alabama had already integrated prior to the 1970 season. Freshmen just weren’t eligible.

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15 years ago you rarely saw anyone wearing Bama gear in and around Louisiana. Now it's not uncommon at all.

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Probably because Bama hardly ever recruited LA until Saban stepped on campus. Now, there are probably more kids from Ouachita Parish on Bama's team than LSU has from one single parish and I could probably even make that claim against ULM too and they are in Ouachita Parish. In fact, Bama pretty well has a fence around NE LA. It didn't hurt that they also picked up guys like Eddie Lacy from South LA either.

I actually kinda liked when we sucked though. I was pretty much the only Gump fan that lived in my burb of Houston for years and when you did see another Gump sporting the Script A and you yelled Roll Tide at them, they actually knew they were supposed to return the favor.

I see all kinds of dipshits up here sporting that stupid A.

Bama wasn't even that popular when they were great before Saban.

Gene Stallings...that wasn't some blockbuster...it was a blockbuster because they beat Miami. But Bama won and then it was Bama fans...and crickets.

Then it was back to Miami and FSU and Nebraska...

I've been watching CFB for a long time...and I've never seen Alabama become a national brand in any year or decade.

And Bama was sort of an after-thought for two decades before Saban arrived.

They just weren't talked about like Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, etc.

Maybe it's changing now...with all the winning...

But Bama as a national power...was still a regional draw. I hardly ever saw Bama on ESPN growing up.