Major factor in Alabama’s SEC Championship loss vs. Georgia may be a saving grace for Crimson Tide on Selection Sunday
The loss of Jam Miller may have lost Alabama the battle, but it could help the team win the war.
The Alabama Crimson Tide got throttled on Saturday night. There is no way around the beatdown that the Georgia Bulldogs put on Alabama in Atlanta. There is, however, a context that some are missing, forgetting, or just ignoring.
Sure, Kirby Smart called his shot, and Ty Simpson’s regression may cost Alabama. But the Crimson Tide was down two of its best players in a championship game, having been the No. 1 overall seed. One of those players is RB Jam Miller, who wasn’t out there on Saturday but is expected to be out there if and when Alabama makes the CFP.
Alabama’s lack of starters vs. Georgia could help Crimson Tide make CFP
“We’re not here to make excuses — you got to credit Georgia for what they did — but you’re playing without some guys, but you’re also playing with guys that are on one leg or have one arm,” said Kalen DeBoer via Mike Rodack on Twitter. “A couple of weeks here, we could look like a whole different team. That’s really the reality of it.
“Some teams get 2-3 weeks. That would be a whole different world we’d be living in. It isn’t the case. “This program never makes excuses, but we certainly want to continue to move forward. Feel like we’ve got a team that can go do some big things in the postseason and got to wait until tomorrow to see what happens.”
Pete Thamel of ESPN was the first to report that Miller would be out against Georgia, but he’s expected to be back in the mix for the postseason. I’m not saying Miller is Derrick Henry. Still, Alabama lost only one game with him in the lineup this year. He had the run game looking the best it had all season before his injury during the Auburn game, and above all else, do we think Alabama rushes for negative three yards if the team has its starting tailback?
In the end, I’m not sure if it will be enough to sway the committee. They say that everything is taken into account on Selection Sunday, just as they say that losses in conference championships don’t hurt as much as losses in the regular season.
But we’ll see what all the talk looks like soon enough.
Alabama Crimson Tide News
Former Crimson Tide Heisman Trophy winner throws cold water on Alabama’s College Football Playoff hopes after SEC Championship
Here’s what Mark Ingram had to say about the Alabama Crimson Tide and its chances of making the CFP.
