Alabama football is back to its best after last week’s game against Missouri with a spectacular 34-0 victory. The defense did a commendable job in shutting down the Mizzou offense’s shrewd run game while Jalen Milroe and other offensive geniuses continued up-scaling the scoreboard. Kalen DeBoer was walking on eggshells after two nasty losses to the season, and a win could be the only savior for his career and the Bama’s championship title. The momentum is raging, and there’s no harm in hoping to see it double in the remaining schedule, but it would be wise to face up to the reality before going too far with the playoff dream. 

There are no such harsh words that didn’t hit the new Bama coach from the fans and veterans alike after he lost the pace in the mid-season. From insiders raising a red flag to his coaching style to the internet making a monkey of him, everything seemed to go against the 50-year-old football au fait who was desperately trying to match the unbelievable standard of Nick Saban. But he kept believing in his craft and the players. Finally, all the efforts paid off big time in week 9. But is it even good enough to bag them a sure-shot spot in the playoff? Debatable. But, one point against the argument is: ‘‘None of ESPN’s 13 college football reporters projected Alabama in the 12-team playoff field Sunday after a 34-0 win over Missouri.”

As 247sports reported, ”Computer models generally favor Alabama’s playoff chances. ESPN’s FPI assigns each team a percentage chance of making the playoff, and as of Sunday morning, Alabama has a 53.2% chance of making it.”

The contention is folding up with most of the teams bidding goodbye to the season, coming up short in one or the other performance parameter. The teams still hanging on the cliff include Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and LSU. It would be nearly impossible for The Tide to keep pushing for the SEC title after their two big consecutive losses if the calendar would display 2023. Thanks to the newly adopted 12-team system that keeps the fire alive even if the flame is pretty dim. And DeBoer, the guiding light for Alabama, as always, tries to capitalize on it. 

Kalen DeBoer wants his team to continue the good work, inching closer to the season trail 

At such a point in time when Alabama silenced all the critics, giving off a dominating week 9 showdown, the biggest question that can pop up is what lies next. Shortly after Coach DeBoer stepped out from the field with a pinch of relief on his place face, media personnel rushed to record his highly sought-after reaction and the set-up vision for the immediate future. DeBoer came off as the same unphased, implying a win or loss is too petty to alter his mental tenacity. But noting his bare minimum contentment for the things that went exactly his way, the Bama HC noted, ”I really want them to put that shot out there. That’s why I called the timeout. There was any type of question at all. Wanted to let us get our feet on the ground and be able to play football. So wanted that for them.”

But as it comes to the future and the playoff aspiration, DeBoer knows that there is a lot of room for work. The grey areas, the penalties, and the other shortcomings need to be deeply evaluated and fixed as they head to the bye week and another crucial game against LSU in a few weeks. The one final prognosis that the coach had for his beloved team was: ‘‘Go back to work.”

They will, certainly but whether that bears fruit for a playoff entry is a far-fetched assumption. What’s your take on the reporters’ allegedly snubbing Alabama in the playoff projection? Let us know in the comments.