NASHVILLE — If the heights of the Nick Saban era are impressive, what about the depths?
While proud Southeastern Conference programs such as Auburn, Florida, LSU and Tennessee have bottomed out in recent years with losing seasons, the lowest it gets from the Crimson Tide is 11-2. Last year was one of those “debacles,” with last-play losses at Tennessee and at LSU preventing Alabama from reaching the College Football Playoff for the eighth time in the nine seasons of its existence.
Alabama capped last season with a 45-20 crushing of Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl, but savoring the good times often was difficult with a bar raised so high.
“I had mixed feelings about it at the time,” Crimson Tide junior right tackle JC Latham said Wednesday as SEC Media Days continued. “Sometimes I told myself to appreciate the little things, because it was my first season starting and I did pretty good, but at the same time I had to understand the reality of it and our standard.
“That’s the main thing I took away from last season. We had the opportunity to win and we didn’t, and we’re going to go out there again and have to show who we are. I know for a fact that we should have won last year.”