It’s the Same Old Nick Saban. It’s a Brand New Alabama.

For the better part of two decades, Nick Saban and his Alabama football team have been college football’s model of consistency.

Through an era of unprecedented change, when the sport has been rocked by conference realignment and the whole notion of amateurism has begun to unravel, Alabama has remained stubbornly the same. The Crimson Tide recruit the best players, they win the biggest games, they roll into the playoffs pretty much every year as favorites to win the championship.