Last year, Alabama's BCS national championship crystal ball trophy was broken during a recruiting visit. Carleton Tinker, the father of long snapper Carson Tinker, somehow knocked the ball off its stand causing it to shatter.

The trophy was insured and the cost to replace it was valued at about $30,000. However, Alabama seems to have made a profit off of this accident after a recent auction involving the shattered remains of the trophy.

Alabama auctions sold the broken 2011 BCS Championship Trophy at its UA Celebrity Golf Tournament on Sunday for a reported $105,000, according to a tweet from Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News. It was a wise decision by the Alabama football program to keep the remains of the trophy and auction them for an estimated $75,000 profit.

It's not as though this is the only hardware at the Tide's disposal. Since Nick Saban's hiring in 2007, Alabama has been the most successful program in college football.

Saban has led Alabama to a dominant 68-13 record since taking over the helm in Tuscaloosa. Alabama has won the past two national championships, as well as the 2010 BCS title.

The Crimson Tide have also dominated the premiere conference in college football. Since Saban's arrival, Alabama has won two SEC championships and three SEC Western Division titles.

Alabama is expected to be a favorite to repeat this season, giving them yet another trophy to place on their mantle. However, they will have a tough task competing with Texas A&M, the only team successful in pulling off an upset over the Tide last season.

The Crimson Tide will begin action on August 31st against Virginia Tech in Atlanta to kick off their 2013 regular season. The Tide will have their bye week in Week 2 before looking to avenge last season's loss against the Aggies on September 14.