Saturday, September 27th, 2008. Athens, GA. Blackout. Forever known to me as the "Funeral Game."

This was the game. The first game where Alabama again took their place on the national stage. The game which allowed us to put behind years of probation, irrelevancy, bad coaching, dropping the rope, and scandal. Putting behind the darker days where Alabama was not even an afterthought when discussing the SEC championship, much less the national one. The game which vindicated Saban's decision to return to the college ranks. The game which once again showed that Alabama is one of, if not THE, premier coaching job in the nation.

Alabama didn't just win this game, they flat out dominated it most of the time. The defense was still too young to sustain what they would later be capable of, but this was the game where they showed they could beat down a very good team, going between the hedges, knocking off the #3 team in the nation in a way most convincing. Bama led 31-0 before the Bulldogs knew what hit them, and the pumped up fans dressed in their black clothes felt just as silly as they looked.

After this game, Alabama was back. Coming up on the 4 year mark, almost all the players now dressed in crimson and white all were in high school, watching what no one could deny was the dawn of a new era in the SEC. Since the beginning of 2008, the Tide has played 57 games, including this one. They have won 51 of them (almost 90%), including 2 NCs. To put this into perspective, the previous 57 games, they won only 31 (54%) and needless to say, 0 NCs.

This is one of those golden ages for Alabama Football, and I am taking a moment to mark what to me is the anniversary of the worlds’ realization of the fact. Roll Tide!