Even despite coming away with a 27-25 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday afternoon, there is still no denying that it was an overall disappointing performance from the Alabama Crimson Tide.
After jumping out to an early 14-0 lead, Alabama had a rough end to the first half where South Carolina scored 12 points in under two minutes, and even took the lead early in the third quarter. The Crimson Tide also nearly blew the game late in the fourth quarter after taking a 27-19 lead with 1:54 left on the clock, and used a much-needed Domani Jackson interception to seal the victory.
As a result of this win, Alabama also did not change in the latest AP Poll and US LBM Coaches Poll entering Week 8, which could be a surprise to some across college football. How does ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) rank the Crimson Tide after this win however?
Similar to those polls, Alabama did also not move in ESPN’s FPI after their struggle win, staying put at No. 3 nationally. FPI also gives Alabama a 68.9% chance of making the College Football Playoff as of Sunday, October 13, as well as a 14.2% chance to win the SEC and a 9.9% chance to win out.
Alabama’s next opponent, the Tennessee Volunteers, were the highest-ranked team to drop in FPI after Week 7, moving down a spot to No. 7.