Fresh off their first home loss to a non-SEC team since head coach Nick Saban’s first season, the Alabama Crimson Tide headlined USA TODAY Sports’ Week 2 Misery Index.
The Texas Longhorns, led by Saban’s former offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, led for all but a minute of this weekend’s upset, leaving Alabama with a 34-24 victory and a shiny new No. 6 ranking in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
The Tide tumbled down to No. 10. At 1-1, seven-time national champion Saban now faces an uphill battle for playoff contention, an unfamiliar place for his titanic program. Between the inconsistency of starting quarterback Jalen Milroe (14-27, 289 total yards, 2 passing TDs, 2 INTs) and a paltry 3.1 yards per attempt on the ground, Dan Wolken thinks the loss could be the harbinger of the end of the Saban era.
“Right now, the Crimson Tide isn’t very good on offense or defense,” Wolken wrote. “Other than that, things are just great.”
Texas A&M, who began the weekend as No. 23 in the Coaches Poll before a 48-33 loss to Miami, featured as the second name listed on Wolken’s Misery Index. The Aggies are 14-12 since head coach Jimbo Fisher signed a contract extension in August of 2021, including 7-10 in their last 17 games. They have begun each of the past five seasons inside the preseason AP Top 25, but they have only appeared in the postseason rankings once (No. 4 in 2020).