Alabama and Keelon Russell are going to be fine. Losing to Tennessee, your second-biggest rival, is always going to be painful for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Then it got worse watching your No. 1 rival go beat the same Georgia team you couldn’t beat last week. I don’t want to throw salt in the wound, and that’s not the point here.

The point is this. Of all the teams in college football that could finish the season with three losses, Alabama is absolutely in that conversation. The Crimson Tide have two right now after dropping back to back games.

The good news is a potential 9-3 SEC team still has a real path to the College Football Playoff, and I absolutely believe in this core to stay in that conversation. But, Alabama will have to walk a tightrope the rest of the way.

My confidence in Keelon Russell hasn’t dropped after this loss

I’m still 110 percent a believer in Russell.

With a young quarterback, the breathing room his youth gives him keeps shrinking the more success he has. It’s a give and take. You’re excited because you have a superstar on your hands, and he’s been incredibly productive this early in his career. So the moment he looks human, people forget how young he is.

And yes, there were red flags against Tennessee. Let’s call a spade a spade. That Volunteers defense was a bad matchup for him. There was hesitation in his game, and he did not handle disguises well. That’s typical for any young quarterback. It’s almost expected.

And you may say, Tegan, isn’t that exactly the kind of thing that could sink a playoff team? It certainly can. But it’s also the kind of thing that gets coached out of a talented kid, and Russell is as talented as they come and Alabama has the coaching staff.

The context matters looking at the remaining schedule

Now, add in the fact that this was a hangover spot coming off Georgia. People talk about the hangover after an emotional win all the time. An emotional loss is just as impactful. Then throw in losing your No. 1 receiver and your starting center.

None of that is an excuse. But, it’s context. It’s the stuff that brings the overreaction back down to earth, because the Crimson Tide didn’t lose to Tennessee in a vacuum.

Look across the college football landscape. Can you find a single contender that’s blowing everybody out of the water? You won’t. Nobody is clearly better than the rest right now, and that’s exactly why Alabama should still be confident about still being in the thick of the race.

You lost to a really good Georgia team. Then you got punched in the mouth by Tennessee. That hurts, but now you know exactly where the holes in your roster are. That has value. Plenty of contenders won’t find out what’s wrong with them until a playoff game, when a loss is season-ending.

I believe Alabama’s upside is as good as virtually anybody’s in the country. Russell will get better against those disguised looks. The bodies will come back on offense, and the schedule won’t feel like a make-or-break spot every week forever.

I’m firmly in the camp that Alabama bounces back from this. Two straight losses feel like the end of the world in Tuscaloosa, but it shouldn’t. I think these two games will end up as a blip in what turns into a very successful season.