i hope you arent serious...think about this for a second.

and also keep in mind it hasnt been a decade..2000 was the year..and in 2008 they have the #2 ranked team in the nation.

for 2 seasons your team is put on a limited number or scholarships (less than 85..which is now the limit for all schools) and cannot participate in ANY bowl game..no matter how many games they win.

the 1999 recruiting class does not want to go to Bama..why? they cant go to a bowl game for 2 years. this means you get WAYYY less talented players.

the 2000 recruiting class doesnt want to come...nor the 2001. This is 3 years in recruiting where your program is shot in the knee. This type of probation is often referred to as the "death penalty" around the NCAA. Why? because a decade is a short period of time for a program to be back on their feet...usually...they never will be back up.

the 1999, 2000, and 2001 recruits are all there for 4 years each. This progresses to 2005, excluding the red shirts. 2005 is really the year where you can see them start getting better. Winning games is what recruits the best....and after the "death penalty"..Alabama was obviously not winning games. for them to be this far along only 8 years after they were put on probation is absolutely remarkable. Granted..they had to offer the best recruiter in the nation a rediculous contract to get it that way...but it worked. So, you laugh when saying "yea..if probation keeps you down for a decade"...but in all fairness...it was put in place to keep you down for longer than that.

Do you think kids in the 2002-2004 recruiting classes wanted to play with the product left on the field from probation? no...they chose Auburn and other SEC schools..like Tennessee who has to go out of state to do a lot of their recruiting. NOW..once Saban has arrived..you will see a steady dropoff from both Auburn and Tennessee. Upon Sabans first year of arrival...Tennessee..who usually has a top 10 recruiting class...ended up with the 36th ranked recruiting class...the worst since Fulmer has been there. Auburn barely cracked the top 20 and Bama landed 9 of the top 10 in sate recruits. Auburn has ranked in the top 10 in recruiting nearly every year since 2000. Now..Saban arrives..Bama ends up with the top ranked recruiting class in the nation, and Auburn and Tennessee end up with some of the worst theyve ever had. Coincidence? Nope. Note this. Alabamas 2 top freshman..Mark Ingram and Julio Jones...have combined for 9 touchdowns this season. Auburns entire offense has combined for 8 so far. Alabama is VERY VERY VERY lucky to be at the point its at after the probation.

Oh..and Spul...2 years away from where Saban wants them to be. 2 years from having nearly ALL Saban recruits. Trust me...Bama is nowhere near as good as they will be in 2 to 3 years. They will be in the hunt for a national championship every single year.

Oh and they already have the 7th ranked recruiting class in the nation for 2009. And only 15 kids have committed. Most every team ahead of them has a full class. It's scary.

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