“If you continue to do the same thing that you always have done, you will get the same result. Guaranteed.”

I can only imagine that Nick Saban was reaching toward the definition of insanity – doing something over and over again and expecting a different result – when he selected this quote. I can only imagine he was hinting at the many changes to come.

You see, these “motivational” words are reportedly currently hanging in the locker of every single member of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, with a hauntingly simple “0-2” accompanying them.

What’s worse, the letters are overlaid on a watermark of a celebrating Sooner, and the scores of the final two games of the season are printed overhead as a constant reminder of how we ended the dynastic run.

Seems to me to be a way of saying, “Welcome to the off-season for Alabama football; welcome to insanity.” I feel for the players right now.

But regardless of their underlying meaning, of course, these signs have been making the rounds on the Internet, being featured on sites ranging from Reddit to Sports Illustrated. Understandably, they have been met with mixed reviews.

Some find it hard to believe that an 11-2 season could evoke such a drastic response, and find it to be in poor taste. Others see it as the only logical way to fire up the team.

Maybe it’s just me, but I actually find the words to be true for any situation and honestly nothing more than a battle cry that each and every one of us should adopt during the upcoming year.

There’s no shame in using shame to motivate. There’s no reason not to identify past defeats with the intention of breaking the cycle of insanity in favor of a fresh start.

The fact is, Saban has been on the horn, bringing in some new blood in the form of Lane Kiffin as our new offensive coordinator, Bo Davis as our new defensive line coach, and locking up several recruits in the past few weeks. He is preparing the team not just for a new season, but for a new era of college football.

The Bowl Championship Series is behind us – where it should be – and now we should be looking forward at a whole new opportunity at dominance in the College Football Playoff. The 2009-2012 dynasty will forever be one of the greatest in history, but starting in 2014, we might just see one better.

I am a firm believer in the aptitude of Kiffin, especially at running an offense (where he hopefully won’t be doing too much recruiting), and as AJ makes his transition into the NFL, I really don’t think the timing could be more perfect. With talent like Luke Del Rio on the roster and competition from Cooper Bateman to keep the two focused, Kiffin will be able to thrive, and we might just erase that 0-2 final from everyone’s memory.

It’s time to look forward at the absolute potential of the upcoming seasons, get behind our new coaching staff and watch Nick Saban & Co. blow the cycle of insanity – and hopefully Auburn – right out of the water.

Here’s to a new dynasty. Guaranteed.

Maxton Thoman is a sophomore majoring in biology. His column runs weekly on Wednesdays.