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rkhufu7
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Urban Meyer said that the SEC edge was the 4-5 star DE/DT. Both UT and OU are having trouble getting those guys each year.
TCU was among the top teams in the country in 2014 but didn't have the political clout to make the final four. They had a terrific defense. They killed Ole Miss who had plenty of name DL's including the top player at any position in his recruiting class. Ole Miss gave Alabama their only regular season loss, but lost by 39 to TCU. I think the Frogs were as good as anybody in the playoff. If they hadn't got a little jobbing at the end of the Baylor game in Waco, they'd have had a great chance to win the NC.
I think in the days of no huddle spreads, that it might be more important to have quality DLine depth than one elite guy. There is no doubt that the best two teams in the country this season had terrific big guys on both sides. I'd say that it takes having great players at 21 positions to be able to overcome having a less than great quarterback. Bama had that. Sometimes, it's just having a hot quarterback. Theirs made the plays in the fourth that were huge. If he hadn't, and if Clemson's quarterback, running back and several other players hadn't bee affected by injuries, I don't think Bama would have won the NC.
For years, I've claimed that the RRR team with the best defensive tackles usually wins, and that is still normally true. But you can have outstanding tackle play, without having elite recruits there.
The Sooners certainly did in 2000 with a terrific rotation.
I think in the days of no huddle spreads, that it might be more important to have quality DLine depth than one elite guy. There is no doubt that the best two teams in the country this season had terrific big guys on both sides. I'd say that it takes having great players at 21 positions to be able to overcome having a less than great quarterback. Bama had that. Sometimes, it's just having a hot quarterback. Theirs made the plays in the fourth that were huge. If he hadn't, and if Clemson's quarterback, running back and several other players hadn't bee affected by injuries, I don't think Bama would have won the NC.
For years, I've claimed that the RRR team with the best defensive tackles usually wins, and that is still normally true. But you can have outstanding tackle play, without having elite recruits there.
The Sooners certainly did in 2000 with a terrific rotation.
The Y2K Sooners played in a different time. Rules changes have made line play more important that ever among top college teams. And as athletes have gotten bigger, stronger, and faster, the ability to create seams and preclude lanes has never been more important. Of course, that puts a premium on the LOS.
And when you play against a no huddle spread team, if any particular lineman plays more than 40 snaps, he'll be greatly impacted. On of the things that was such a big factor in the Clemson loss was missing OUr best DTackle. Not only did we miss Walker's big plays and penetration, but Dimon got worn out pretty quickly playing most of the snaps at left tackle. You better have a quality two deep, or you won't be very good on defense.
And just as an aside, probably the biggest procurer of of four and five start line guys in the XII has been Texas. I think you could make a pretty good case that their best pass rusher in the last decade was Orakpo, and he was a one or two star. Mack Brown was talking about him on one of their endless reliving shows about the 2005 title game against USC, and Mack said Texas was the only team who recruited him. I don't know the truth of that, but he was like the tenth player taken in the draft, so he had a pretty good college career at least.
The point is that you can win a national title with your best defender being below a three star guy. It's not how you played as a senior in high school. It's how good a college player you are.
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I just found it strange that you have called for a ban on the OPoster, but then refer to him.
Of course we need a dominate line on both sides. The OP was stupid....