Alabama’s biggest rivalries are all within the SEC, but the Crimson Tide has history with plenty of teams across the country. We’re asking Alabama fans to vote on which nonconference program they hate the most with an eight-team bracket.
You can vote by scrolling down and on also on Twitter @TideSports. Voting for this matchup will run through Tuesday night. Check back later this week for the next matchup.
Teams that just missed the bracket: Southern Cal, Oklahoma, Southern Miss, Michigan. For explanations, listen to the first segment of the podcast.
Round 1: Notre Dame defeated UAB
2. Clemson
Football series record: Alabama leads 14-4
Alabama has met Clemson three straight years in the postseason in massive games. The first two national championship games were instant classics, though the meeting in Tampa didn’t turn out in Alabama’s favor. The game-winning touchdown pass – on what some fans swear was an illegal play – won’t soon be forgotten.
On the other hand, there seems to be a healthy respect of Clemson from Alabama fans. Dabo Swinney was cheered when he returned to campus with Alabama’s 1992 national championship team this fall. He has a staff loaded with former Alabama players, assistant coaches and staffers who have all had their fingerprints on the Tigers’ recent run.
7. Central Florida
Football series record: UCF leads 1-0
It’s a matchup between the team that beat Alabama for its last championship and the team that claims Alabama’s last championship. Central Florida is a new addition to the list, and the Golden Knights might not crack the field in a season or two. But they’re here for now.
Central Florida may not have the trophy, but they have their own championship rings and celebrated as the nation’s only undefeated team. It’s been one of the subjects that has come up again and again this offseason.
There is history between the football programs, and it’s not good for Alabama. Central Florida beat Alabama 40-38 in 2000 in Tuscaloosa in their lone meeting. You’d probably long moved on from that game. Alabama fans will move on from the 2017 national championship discussion eventually, too.
The bracket continues after Notre Dame crushes UAB. Which nonconference school do Alabama fans hate most?
The school that beat Alabama for the national championship? Or the school that claims Alabama's national championship?— TideSports.com (@TideSports) May 23, 2018
