Georgia officials made a huge gamble two years ago. They pushed out a successful coach (Mark Richt) because they believed their program should compete for championships more often. The Bulldogs sought only a few more wins a year, but the distance between good and great is the most treacherous gulf to cross in college football. Plenty of programs have tried, but only a few have reached the desired destination.

So Georgia hired an alumnus whose recent work experience gave him insight into how to cross that divide. Kirby Smart didn’t get the job because he once wore silver britches; he got it because he once wore silver britches and understood how Nick Saban built Alabama into a juggernaut that has dominated a decade. When Smart was hired, Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity didn’t issue orders. He asked questions. “He had to basically educate us on what it would take,” McGarity says.

In short, Georgia wanted to Sabanize.

Five years ago, SI examined the Sabanization of college football. Football programs trying to change their fortunes hired former Saban assistants with the hope that they could do what Saban had done in Tuscaloosa. One (Jimbo Fisher) has won a national title. Three (Derek Dooley, Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain) have been fired from SEC schools. But even though others such as Clemson’s Dabo Swinney have proven that programs can build a sustainable winner using a different style, athletic directors still seek to bring The Process to their campuses. The most recent example? Tennessee, which just hired Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt as its head coach. Next year, the SEC will feature four head coaches who were Saban assistants.

As Saban’s Crimson Tide and Smart’s Bulldogs prepare to play in the College Football Playoff semifinals, we examine the various attempts at Sabanization and evaluate how closely the pupils have adhered to the master’s style using the four key components of Saban’s success.

Nick Saban Coaching Tree

Art by Stephen Goggi