ESPN shares mind-blowing stat on Alabama when facing Georgia

If you are a fan of Alabama football and statistical omens, then you’re in luck as there is a combination of both in favor of the Crimson Tide in tonight’s national championship game.

The team over at ESPN has been digging around and crunching a few numbers. They found that in Alabama’s last 95 games played, there have only been two separate occasions in which they have been underdogs, under Nick Saban. And those two games that Alabama was not favored in were against, you guessed it, the Georgia Bulldogs.

But the main part of that stat, which should have Alabama fans preparing for their seventh national championship under Saban, is the outcomes of those two games. The Crimson Tide and their head coach won those games by an average score of 22.5 points.

It’s one thing to come out on top in a game that you are the underdog in, but it is terrifying for the other team if you have done so, on average, by more than three touchdowns.

Nick Saban on Bear Bryant

Nick Saban might have built his own legacy with Alabama, but he still looks up Bear Bryant. Heading into the national title game Monday, the current Crimson Tide had gave a nod to the legend.

“I still think in my mind, he’s the greatest coach of all time,” Saban told SEC Network. “I still look up to him just that way. If it wasn’t for the legacy of what he did at Alabama, there would be no way that we could have the success that we’ve had at Alabama. He established the tradition and the standard that helped us emulate it to a degree. He was really the pioneer that set the standard for a lot of things in our profession.”

Saban has the most national championships of any coach in college football history with seven. Six of those have come with Alabama, and he has a chance to earn a seventh Monday night against Georgia. Should he accomplish that feat, he would surpass Bryant for the most in school history.

Bryant spent 25 seasons as the Crimson Tide football coach from 1958-1982. He is still the all-time winningest coach in the program with a record of 232-46-9. Saban is right behind him in second place with a 183-24 record in 15 seasons with the Tide.

Nick Saban still has a ways to go if he hopes to catch Bear Bryant’s 323 career wins, which ranks eighth in college football history. However, for many, achieving an eighth national championship could push him above Bryant. Either way, Saban doesn’t see it as a competition, respecting the history of Alabama while still aiming to make his own.

In Georgia, the current Crimson Tide coach will face a team he has already beaten once this season. It should be noted Saban is 3-0 (1-0 with Alabama, 2-0 with LSU) when facing a team for the second time in a season.