I think this may be my first or second forum post, so I'm sure I'm f'n something up, but for years now, there is a consistent gripe about why does Bama only drop x number of spots when they lose when y dropped so much more, why are they rated x amount higher than  a team with the same record, or any number of similar complaints along those lines.  You explain it by bringing up the domination they've had in the sport unlike any other team, and the response is, this years team sucks and is not nearly as good as the previous years.  I heard it in the early part of last year, only by the end to see many say that that year's team was one of the best ever. 

I'm not saying that they are unbeatable, clearly they are.  I'm not saying this year's team is going to win the NC either.  I'm not saying all teams in the conference should be treated like them.  I'm not saying anything about the way they get there (i.e. scholarship limits, bagmen ...) And I'm also not saying I like the preference they get. 

I'm saying over the past decade and a half, they have much more consistently than any other school, shown themselves to be on a level that no other team is, and for that, in those situations where other factors are similar, they deserve the benefit of the doubt.