Do you know what it means to want Alabama?

Why this game matters so much.

The football team I love is about to play the biggest game in their 135-year history, and according to the oddsmakers, they’re expected to lose by two touchdowns.

I don’t care.

Now, don’t get me wrong—I disagree with the oddsmakers. The official stance of this newsletter is that the Cincinnati Bearcats are going to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday, a mere stepping stone on their road to a victory in the national championship game in Indianapolis on January 10th.

But I understand math, and I understand why the oddsmakers would feel the way they do.

Alabama has been the gold standard in college football for most of the last century, and some standard well beyond that (Platinum? Diamond? Cryptocurrency?) during the Nick Saban era. It’s one thing to have been dominant during the leather-helmet era, but what Alabama has achieved under Saban in the modern, big-money, highly-competitive era of the sport is nothing short of remarkable. Over the dozen seasons preceding the current one, th…