Alabama, Texas Went in Opposite Directions Since Last Meeting

January 7, 2010.

That was the last time the Alabama Crimson Tide took the field against the Texas Longhorns. A lot has changed since the two schools did battle, from the name of the championship game to the paths that each of the programs have taken since then.

Come Saturday, there will me new memories to make and new experiences to enjoy, but let's look at what's changed in the 12 years since the last matchup.

The Championship Itself

A memorable angle of the last matchup between the Crimson Tide and the Longhorns was that it was in the predecessor to the College Football Playoff: The BCS National Championship.

Back in the olden days, the championship game was between the first and second overall teams in the BCS poll. Alabama was the top overall team while Texas, who won the Big 12 Conference title that year, finished second.

The game was held in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, one of the four stadiums in the BCS rotation, the other three being the Superdome (first Louisiana than Mercedes-Benz) in New Orleans, The Miami Dolphins stadium (which had several name changes until the rights were sold to Hard Rock Cafe Inc. in 2016), and Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, the home for the Arizona Cardinals until the new stadium was built in Glendale, and the game followed it.

The BCS Championship continued until 2014, when the BCS gave way to the still-implemented College Football Playoff. Before the BCS was discontinued, Alabama won two more titles in back-to-back fashion in 2012 and 2013. Auburn, led by Gene Chizik and Gus Malzahn (remember those names?) won the 2011 title game with quarterback Cam Newton, while Florida State, led by Jameis Winston at quarterback and Jalen Ramsey at defensive back, won the final BCS title when they defeated Auburn.

Fun fact: two men from the Florida State team soon ended up at Alabama. One was Charles Kelly, who was a linebackers coach for the Seminoles, and now is the safeties coach on Nick Saban's staff. The other, Winston's backup, was future Alabama quarterback and national champion Jake Coker.

The Players

Alabama had a who's who of players that would eventually head to the NFL. They included Mark Ingram II, who won game MVP honors after scoring two touchdowns on 22 carries and 116 yards. Other players included:

Trent Richardson - 22 carries, 109 yards and two touchdowns
Julio Jones
Rolando McClain - Defensive MVP
Mark Barron
Dont'a Hightower

There were other names who had forgettable performances (Greg McElroy) or those who had yet to make their mark (All-Americans Chance Warmack, DJ Fluker and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick were all at the bottom of the depth chart during that season.

Texas didn't have as many stars as the Crimson Tide, but they had one player who would go on to be one of the best at his position. His name is... Justin Tucker.

The Longhorns also had Colt McCoy, a good college QB, but remember he went down with an injury early in the game. Who knows how it would've turned out had he played the entire game.

Outside of receivers Marquise Goodwin and Jordan Shipley, the 2009 Texas team cupboard was rather bare in hindsight, mainly because the likes of Earl Thomas was still a sophomore during that season.

One Era Begins While Another Ends...

The 2009-10 season was the first championship season under Nick Saban, who's first championship became the first of many. Here's a look at the rest of his 2009-10 staff that are still active.

Curt Cignetti (Receivers/Recruiting - Current HC at James Madison
Bo Davis (DL Coach) - Current DL coach for Texas (go figure)
Jim McElwain (OC/QBs) - Current HC at Central Michigan
Kirby Smart (DC/Secondary) - Current HC at Georgia
Scott Cochran (Strength/Conditioning) - Special Teams at Georgia

While Saban was starting his run at Alabama, legendary Texas coach Mack Brown's tenure in Austin was coming to an end. Brown would resign in 2013, citing that the winning culture he helped build was no longer present at Texas.

Brown is actually back in coaching a a familiar place: he took over the program at North Carolina in 2019, the same program he coached from 1988 to 1997.

Another notable name from the bunch is Will Muschamp, the former Texas defensive coordinator and linebacker coach who would then take over at Florida, then South Carolina, before his current position as co-defensive coordinator at Georgia.

Since Then...

Alabama has become a dynasty that rivals the best in all of sports, with the legacy of Nick Saban growing by the day.

That is not the case for Texas

While the Longhorns are still respected as a Power 5 program, there's been very little success since the 2010 BCS Championship loss. Since that loss, five of the 12 seasons ended with a losing record, and while they are 6-2 in bowl games, only one of them was one of the New Year's Six (2019 Sugar Bowl against Georgia, the only double-digit win during that span).

Also, since 2009, the Longhorns have eight All-Americans (none since 2020) while the Crimson Tide have 33 total selections, including three on the 2021 team.

It's been a long time since Texas stood among the elite, but with Bijan Robinson and Quin Ewers, the Longhorns have the best weapons in a long time. Will the Longhorns return to elite status before they join the SEC? Only time will tell.