Rant Time: Dynasty Warriors

(The following is an unabridged version of a column appearing in The Breeze, JMU's student newspaper. It is part of my weekly Fantatic and Proud series, printed every Thursday. The shortened version ran on Thursday, January 10, 2013.)

She was so sure.

She didn’t stutter or hesitate for one moment, except maybe to slur her words a bit. Her verbiage was littered with definitive statements like “we will win” and “those Crimson guys has no chance.” Sure, the alcohol might have been building her up unnecessarily, but given the chance to recant her bold claims later, under the clear eyes of sobriety, her confidence was nothing short of unwavering.

Notre Dame would win the national championship.

Those were the words of one Cindy Metcalf – name changed to protect the dumbfounded – a junior at Notre Dame. Brimming with pride in early December after her Irish completed their undefeated regular season, Cindy remained so sure that her school would win the BCS national championship that she was prepared to put her money where her mouth was.

Or rather, she was prepared to put her social calendar where her mouth was. Notre Dame would win, or Cindy agreed to go out on a date with me next time we were in town together.

Let’s just ignore the big part of this arrangement that’s altogether insulting, and cut straight to one of my biggest I-told-you-so’s of my college career. Notre Dame was absolutely blasted on Monday night by football powerhouse Alabama, in what ended up being the Irish’s biggest loss on a field since 1845. The Crimson Tide won by a final score of 42-14, and I was reaching for my wallet by the end of the first quarter.

Don't worry ladies. I’m a gentleman, of course. I always pay.

Ultimately, it’s foolish to bet against Alabama head coach Nick Saban. He’s proven time and time again what he can do with a month’s time to prepare for a marquee contest. Why would this January be any exception? Even against a highly touted Notre Dame team, the Southeastern Conference’s best squad looked immortal. They looked untouchable. They looked dynastic.

Dynasty is a rare word in college athletics, and it’s not hard to figure out why. With both athletes and coaches coming in and going out in relatively short amounts of time, turnover isn’t just a nuisance. It’s a built-in obstacle to climb over and work around. But much like his SEC colleague John Calipari has done for University of Kentucky basketball, Saban has turned his institution not into a conduit for learning and growth but a destination for top-end athletes. It might make some fans uncomfortable, but Saban ultimately has to be commended for circumnavigating the landscape of college athletics with such consistency.

The result, much to my friend Cindy’s displeasure, is three championships in the last four years and an 8-1 record in conference or national championship games. In an atmosphere where schools dish out increasingly skyrocketing salaries for wins, Saban’s performance truly is priceless.

Not much college football remains for us to talk about this season. A few more prognostications of how many first round draft picks Alabama will produce this year; an unfathomably early looks at next year’s top 25 teams; maybe even a few more tongue-in-cheek Miss Alabama USA references, pondering if Brent Musberger and discretion need to reintroduce themselves to one another.

Meanwhile, as the talking heads kick back and pontificate, Saban will be out on the recruiting trail (if he isn’t already). In his mind, 48 hours is more than enough time to enjoy that final win of the season before beginning preparation for that next championship. Dynasties aren’t born, after all. They’re built.

As for the Prozac-popping Notre Dame fans out there, they will have to content themselves with their first shot at the crystal trophy since 1988. A 12-0 regular season is certainly nothing to cry about.

...unless you’re my friend Cindy, that is. She very eloquently lamented during the game about how her team was losing to a dumb SEC team that probably couldn’t even read. I waited until the Irish scored a touchdown in the third quarter, and then reassured her that, hey, at least it wasn’t a shutout.

Cheer up, Cindy. At least you’re getting a free dinner out of this.