I've calmed down now. Finish reading this before you blast me. It's not as negative as it is going to seem.
Here's the deal: Alabama has a superior football team. Alabama has a superior football program. Alabama has a superior athletic department. Alabama has a superior university.
And they will for the foreseeable future.
Alabama's leadership has made a commitment to excellence that trumps anything Tennessee's has ever done. They pay for Saban and Kiffin without any hesitation. They pay their strength coach half a million dollars a year. They hired Sark to help the offense. They invest football money into the university to procure more resources. They invest in the education to draw more high end students. They do everything it takes to win in all arenas.
Ever looked at Bryant Denny and the field? It never looked like Neyland did the last few years. Commitment to excellence.
Facilities? A1. Commitment to excellence.
Hell, I watched what they did during a timeout. They had five trainers on the field with squirt bottles as soon as timeout was called. We had two guys slowly saunter out there eventually.
They are even committed to excellence during water breaks.
Nick Saban is not our issue. Butch Jones is not our issue. The players are not our issue. The issue is one university is committed to excellence while the other just says the right things in a press conference.
We need to decide if we want to be 90s Tennessee or 00s Tennessee. There is no middle ground. We can be Alabama. We can be Ohio State. We can easily be the current Clemson. We've just got to make the commitment to greatness it takes to compete in that arena. We have not done that yet.