Coming off of a massive and emotional win against the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs, everyone feared that a road trip to Vanderbilt might prove to be a trap game for the Alabama Crimson Tide. But, I don’t think anyone thought that Alabama would actually lose that game. After all, they only scored three points against Saban in three career games.
Well, we were all wrong as the Commodores pulled off one of the most historic upsets in SEC history to stun Alabama 40-35. Between two turnovers that led to 14 points, no sacks or turnovers on the day, and getting out possessed 17:52 to 42:08, it was a recipe for disaster for the Crimson Tide. Before anyone gets too down on Kalen DeBoer, though, it’s important to remember that even the GOAT Nick Saban dropped a home game to Louisiana Monroe in year one.
As a result of the loss, Alabama fell to No. 7 in both the AP and US LBM Coaches Poll, but what does this mean for the rest of their season and Playoff hopes?
The only saving grace in the loss is the fact that this is the first year of the 12-team Playoff. The loss will make it difficult for Alabama to earn the No. 1 overall seed with Ohio State and Oregon both looking capable of running the table, but the Tide still control their own destiny win the SEC. So their Playoff hopes are far from over, however, the margin for error is very slim now.
Alabama’s remaing schedule is no joke with games against South Carolina, No. 8 Tennessee, No. 21 Missouri, No. 13 LSU, Mercer, No. 18 Oklahoma, and the Iron Bowl against Auburn. I think Alabama has a strong chance to still make the playoffs even if they drop another game and finish with a 10-2 record, but if they drop another game they leave it up to the committee’s decision.
Ultimately, the loss is an embarrassing one, but Alabama’s aspirations of an SEC and national title are very much alive.
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