On the the latest episode of “Beat Everyone,” we reach No. 1 on our countdown of the 15 best Alabama football games of the 21st century.
It’s time to reveal number one on a list that took 15 weeks to narrow down.
The pick: Alabama’s 26-23 overtime win over Georgia in the 2018 College Football Playoff Final, for the 2017 season.
Why this game? Why do we consider this the best since the year 2000, certainly the best of the Nick Saban era, arguably the greatest run in the history of all of college football. What sets this apart from the other instant classics?
You had the high drama of Jalen Hurts getting benched for true freshman Tua Tagovailoa, Nick Saban putting his undefeated streak against former assistant coaches with his longtime defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, and the jubilations that yanked Tide fans from their bodies when Tua found fellow freshman DeVonta Smith for an improbably walk-off touchdown bomb to win it all.
We look back on President Donald Trump attending the game, watching the incredible Tide comeback unfold from the sideline, spotting the legendary Ric Flair in the stands before kickoff, and waiting to see if Saban would actually make the move and put everything on the arm of a freshman prodigy.
Listen to Ben Flanagan and Matt Scalici re-live those and other moments from this classic on AL.com’s Alabama football podcast, “Beat Everyone.” (Watch the video at the top of the story, or listen to the podcast below.)
Did we get it right? Were we wrong? Kinda close? Way off? Let us know if the YouTube comments.
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