We were always "allowed" to play, we just didn't have enough organization and funding to do it right.
No doubt saban is more successful at bama than he ever could have been at Michigan state because funding plays a roll. But so does organization. We're all praising Mario for transforming our program, but where do you think he learned all that? Where did he get the idea to run things the way he does? Everybody who can is copying what saban has done, and you know what they say about flattery.
You make decent points about what bama has been able to do under the table, but in the end saban's the one who's orchestrated it all. He's the one who's decided how to run that program, he's the one that's won eleventy million championships. It's silly to deny the man his due.
Also, and I mean this in the most respectful way, f*ck you for making me have to defend that dirt-bag saban.