Alabama football toppled the premium Georgia Bulldogs in an exhilarating matchup and came out with a celebratory win, but they failed to give the same treatment to Vanderbilt this Saturday in a historical 35-40 loss. The wheel of fortune moved in reverse in a way that very few could have imagined.

Before the game kicked in, the common anticipation was Bama’s monopolistic dominance over a bottom-tier SEC team, but as the clock progressed, it kept getting clear that Bama ain’t destined to pick up an easy win against the Commodores. Quickly, the game got out of the hands of the Tide, and the unthinkable happened. This shocker not only sent shockwaves to the Tide locker room and fanfare but also raised a serious question about coach DeBoer’s future. However, the only relief for the 49-year-old is the new 12-team format.

If it were Nick Saban’s era, the Bama squad would have been under serious fire, losing their chance to enter the playoffs, but since we have transitioned to the new 12-team format, the scenario will be slightly better. Analysing the edge DeBoer has over his predecessor, NFL great Shannon Sharpe noted, ‘‘Alabama yeah it’s an unranked team that’s Vanderbilt, yeah but I’m saying you know they, that committee they be playing around when it come to certain teams now but here’s the thing you got 12 teams this year it’s not a death sentence. This is the regular format where you’re only taking four teams. This probably would have been a death blow, but because you’re taking 12 teams, it is not life or death now; you can’t have any more slipups.”

DeBoer failed to keep the team under control due to his inability to impose a quick change in strategy in the high time. His aggressive approach that bore fruits against Georgia proved to be a bitter fiasco in stopping a typical underdog team.

Despite having plenty of talents in hand, DeBoer showcased little prudence in using them in order. But at least it is not the end of the dream. The defensive mismanagement will hopefully be under scrutiny after the massive upset.

Kalen DeBoer seems ready to learn from his mistakes

DeBoer has been on a tough test to prove his worth in carrying Nick Saban’s unmatched legacy forward right from the beginning of his tenure in Tuscaloosa. From entering the locker room with a lot of back thoughts about the players’ mind space to easing out the hesitation with back-to-back wins in the season,

DeBoer almost got there to overlook the frown of the traditional Saban fans who were not ready to accept his worth. The statement win against the toughest, Kirby Smart’s Georgia, cemented his status even more with the Bama. But, like any other test, DeBoer’s path doesn’t seem to be uneven. An underweight loss came as an eye-opener, and DeBoer is nothing but largely accepting of it.

”We got to continue to do a better job in being disciplined. We are going to find out really how much we care about each other and what it likes moving forward. This is a different type of test now in our response,’‘ said an upset but hopeful coach while rolling his sleeves for an evaluative resurgence in South Carolina Gamecocks next week.

Will they keep finding a way to retain the playoff hopes through the hit-or-miss games onwards? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.