Nebraska coach Bob Devaney really didn’t like what Joe Paterno had to say in a 1972 Washington Post article. He complained to Paul Bear Bryant at Alabama, and Bryant agreed with him.
By 1972, Nebraska's Bob Devaney and Alabama's Paul Bear Bryant had solidified themselves as two of the best college football coaches in the nation. Devaney had captured his two national titles (1970-71), while Bryant had three (1961, 1964–1965). Both would become legends, not just at their perspective schools, but in college football history.
The two met in bowl games three times. Alabama and Nebraska both had a shot at a national title in 1965 as Nebraska entered the Orange Bowl ranked #3, Alabama at #4.