When Bama plays good, they PLAY GOOD. But boy, oh boy, when they start tanking, it’s an embarrassment. To say this season has been a wild rollercoaster ride for Kalen DeBoer would be an understatement. Going into this, people had mixed expectations. At the end of the day, Kalen DeBoer was taking up Nick Saban‘s role. But fans rallied up after Bama went 41-34 against Georgia. That game alone managed to change the perspective, but then came the Vandy disaster. Losing 35-40 to an unranked team was bad enough, but your start QB being horrible was like adding insult to injury.

But now that the season is over, and Hurricanes and Clemson lost their final games, it has opened up a new spot on the 12-team playoff bracket. So, it does make you wonder if Bama has any chance to crack it in with those 3 losses to their name. It does look like DeBoer has some faith. “There’s a committee that has some tough decisions to make and we all get that…. The way we see it we’re one of the best twelve teams and we understand who we are,” the HC mentioned on The Pat McAfee Show. Now is this a subtle plea on national TV or does DeBoer really think Bama deserves a chance?

Okay, so, they lost to Vandy, which could’ve been avoided, and then it was the loss to Vols. 2 games. Both could’ve been a win if the offensive line hadn’t tanked. But hey, there is always a silver lining. They went on a 3 win spree.

The massive game against Mizzou then blew LSU out of the water with 42-13 and finally, Mercer was next on the hit list and Bama ended with 52-7. Jalen Milroe was finally back in shape and this guy was landing rushing TDs like his life depended on it. Good for him.

But then you drop Oklahoma in the picture and go “hmm Bama should win this”. Yeah, they scored 3 points off of a field goal. Lowest in 20 years. And Milroe? 3 interceptions and zero touchdowns. Sooners single-handedly managed to close out the Bama offense by just focusing on stopping Milroe’s run game. And this is wild because it makes you think that Bama is just a one-dimensional team when it comes down to the offense. The OC has to take some blame as well because instead of playing into Milroe’s strength, Nick Sheridan tried to make him a passer. 

When you factor all of this in; do you think Alabama deserves a shot in the playoffs? Yeah, DeBoer managed to win the Iron Bowl, but even that looked like a struggle. If Auburn had pulled the same trick Oklahoma did, Bama wouldn’t have scored many points. We do think that with the name and the value Alabama as a team carries, the committee will end up putting them in the 12th spot. However, there are still 2 more candidates in the picture.

Alabama Crimson Tide vs Gamecocks and Rebels

Okay so, Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin probably had one of the worst falloffs this year. He and his team did amazing against Georgia but lost to a washed-up Florida team that is barely getting by. If that wasn’t enough, the loss to LSU and Kentucky doesn’t look that good on that resume. Still, it is not as bad as Bama losing to Vandy.

And then comes the Gamecocks. These guys have been phenomenal. They almost managed to win over Bama if their QB hadn’t thrown that pass over to the benches and they washed the floor with Oklahoma with 35-9 on the board. If that wasn’t enough, they were a bane to Texas A&M and also managed to dash Clemson’s playoff bracket with the 17-14 win.

Honestly, it is mostly because of South Carolina that we are here at this crossroads. If the Gamecocks had lost to Clemson, then there would be no 12th-bracket discussion for Ole Miss, SC, and Bama. Regardless, the final decision is going to direct some heat toward the committee.