If the sports world feels a bit uneasy these days, that certainly makes sense.
Two absolute giants of football coaching ending the most successful tenures of their respective careers within 18 hours of each other just feels unprecedented.
Nick Saban is heading into retirement after winning seven national championship, including six at Alabama. Bill Belichick is departing New England after leading the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, though it doesn’t seem his time on the sidelines is truly over yet.
Both teams will have a tremendously hard time finding someone to successfully follow these legends. History tells us their immediate replacements are more likely to fail rather quickly. Which begs a question the For The Win staff has been toying with:
Which team is more likely to win their next title first?
Will Alabama keep its momentum and continuing producing 10-win seasons without Saban? Or will new blood in the Patriots’ building revive a dormant AFC East franchise.
We were able to reach a pretty quick consensus.
Who wins their next title first: Alabama or New England?
Blake Schuster: Alabama
NIL has changed the game in college and the Crimson Tide have plenty of money to go around — not to mention all the resources to go with it. Regardless of who replaces Saban, as long as there’s still a committee deciding who gets into the playoff, there will always be a chance a strong Alabama team gets in. That’s especially true in the new 12-team format. The chaos of college football clears the path to another title in Tuscaloosa much sooner than an NFL team can turn things around.
Prince Grimes: Alabama
I can think of so many AFC teams in the way of the Patriots rising to contention again, and that’s after they actually build a team capable of contending. Alabama is already set up for success, just needs to find the right coach to make it happen.
Cory Woodroof: Alabama
I think the Crimson Tide will spare no expense to keep the titles coming in, and it’s easier to do that in college football than in the NFL. The Patriots have fallen behind in a treacherous AFC, but Alabama still stands as one of the fiercer contenders in college football. Losing Saban hurts, but Alabama can find a quicker path to victory than the Patriots can right now.
Meghan L. Hall: Alabama
I’m not sure people realize how bad things are in with New England. (It’s Mary J. Blige I’m Going Down BAD.) Bill Belichick was a great coach, but as a general manager? Not so much. The Tide are set for a while, even without Saban there. They’ve recruited extremely well, and if Alabama keeps winning and making the playoffs, I’m not sure I can see a massive drop-off. And if there is, pretend you never read these words.
Christian D’Andrea: Alabama
Since everyone else is picking Bama, I’ll go with the Patriots. All the signs point to Alabama being the safe and correct pick here. But, folks, history tells us the Crimson Tide is only ever two things: Really good or really bad. They don’t do 9 or 10 win seasons in Tuscaloosa. The program might be in solid shape now when Saban is leaving it, but I doubt whoever the school hires will be able to keep it there. Mostly because there is no one like Nick Saban.
