SEC Football: The similarities between Saban and Smart

Division Titles

Smart and Saban both won division titles in just their second seasons with their current teams.

The stakes were pretty high when Saban came to Alabama. Fans were eager to get someone to restore the Crimson Tide to its former glory like during the days of Bear Bryant and Gene Stallings.

Saban did just that when he led the Crimson Tide to an SEC West title in 2008. Alabama finished the season with a 12-2 record after finishing with just a 7-6 record in the previous season. This was the first time the Crimson Tide had won the West division since 1999.

Alabama was undefeated in the regular season. Their only two losses were in the SEC Championship against Florida, who won the national title that season, and in the Sugar Bowl against Utah.

Like Saban, Smart also only needed two seasons to win his division. The Bulldogs were the favorite to win the SEC East throughout most of this season.

However, Georgia exceeded expectations and dominated the East. The Bulldogs finished this season with an undefeated record in their division and only one loss to Auburn on the road in the regular season. Georgia also won the East division for the first time since 2012.

Like Saban, Smart also faced pressure to quickly turn his program around. With easy access to many of the top recruits in the country in the state of Georgia, the Bulldogs were expected to be contenders for the national title year in and year out. But they seemed to always come up short anytime they had a chance.

This year after decades of hope, the Bulldogs’ dreams of playing in the national championship game will finally become a reality.