| 1981Alabama Crimson Tide football | |
|---|---|
SEC co-champion | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 6 |
| AP | No. 7 |
| Record | 9–2–1 (6–0 SEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Bryant–Denny Stadium Legion Field |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6Georgia + | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7Alabama + | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 1 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 1 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The1981 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented theUniversity of Alabama in the1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 87th overall and 48th season as a member of theSoutheastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coachBear Bryant, in his 24th year, and played their home games atBryant–Denny Stadium inTuscaloosa andLegion Field inBirmingham, Alabama. They finished season with nine wins, two losses and one tie (9–2–1 overall, 6–0 in the SEC), as SEC co-champions withGeorgia and with a loss againstTexas in theCotton Bowl.
Alabama recovered from an upset loss to a 1–10 Georgia Tech team to win its ninth SEC title in eleven years (shared with Georgia). It was Bama's 18th SEC championship, and the 13th and last conference title forPaul "Bear" Bryant at Alabama. Alabama's 28–17 win over Auburn was Coach Bryant's 315th career victory, breaking the then all-time record held byAmos Alonzo Stagg.[1] Alabama's Cotton Bowl Classic loss to Texas dropped the Tide's all-time record against the Longhorns to 0–7–1.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | 8:00 p.m. | atLSU | No. 4 | ABC | W 24–7 | 78,066 | [2] | |
| September 12 | 4:00 p.m. | Georgia Tech* | No. 2 | ESPN | L 21–24 | 78,865 | [3] | |
| September 19 | 12:30 p.m. | atKentucky | No. 12 | W 19–10 | 57,853 | [4] | ||
| September 26 | 7:00 p.m. | atVanderbilt | No. 10 | W 28–7 | 41,000 | [5] | ||
| October 3 | 1:30 p.m. | Ole Miss[A 1]* | No. 11 | W 38–7 | 60,210 | [7] | ||
| October 10 | 1:30 p.m. | Southern Miss* | No. 7 |
| T 13–13 | 76,400 | [8] | |
| October 17 | 1:30 p.m. | Tennessee | No. 15 |
| W 38–19 | 78,550 | [9] | |
| October 24 | 1:30 p.m. | Rutgers* | No. 11 |
| W 31–7 | 60,210 | [10] | |
| October 31 | 1:30 p.m. | No. 7Mississippi State | No. 8 |
| W 13–10 | 60,210 | [11] | |
| November 14 | 11:30 a.m. | at No. 5Penn State* | No. 6 | ABC | W 31–16 | 85,133 | [12] | |
| November 28 | 2:45 p.m. | vs.Auburn | No. 4 | ABC | W 28–17 | 78,170 | [13] | |
| January 1, 1982 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. No. 6Texas* | No. 3 | CBS | L 12–14 | 73,243 | [14] | |
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