Alabama’s road to the College Football Playoff gets a lot tougher after the Crimson Tide woke up to a loss they didn’t see coming
Alabama better do a lot of winning if they want to reach the CFP.
What’s worse than losing to an unranked team to start the season? How about watching that unranked team climb into the top 10 of the AP poll, only to get upset against an unranked opponent?
Well, for the Alabama Crimson Tide, that’s exactly what just happened. After a gutless loss against the Florida State Seminoles in Week 1, Alabama woke up to news that an upset no one saw coming went down in Charlottesville, as the Virginia Cavaliers took down the Seminoles 46-38 in overtime.
And that, folks, isn’t a great look for the Tide…
Alabama at Georgia now feels like a must-win for the Crimson Tide
I don’t think it’s an overreaction to say that tonight’s contest against the Georgia Bulldogs starts a stretch of must-win games for Alabama. If it loses against Georgia, it will likely fall out of the AP Top 25, have two losses in just four games, and watch the asterisk that was its loss against FSU go out the window.
See, not only does the FSU loss look worse on paper after Friday night, it looks worse on Kalen DeBoer. How the UVA Cavaliers managed to score 46 points against an FSU defense that held Alabama to only 17 is beyond me.
The silver lining here is time, however. The Tide, just like the Seminoles, has a lot of ball left to play. There is a chance FSU goes on to beat Miami next weekend, and for all we know, win the ACC. There’s a chance that Alabama beats Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, and Oklahoma, solidifying its postseason bid.
But after watching both teams at length, that feels a little rich at the moment. Maybe Virginia is good, but they lost to NC State. I wouldn’t exactly crown them CFP contenders after this win.
Alabama can afford one more loss, at most
So that’s where things become problematic for the Tide. They have the meat of their schedule in front of them starting tonight. Even if they beat powerhouses, like Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and LSU, who’s to say they don’t overlook the Vanderbilt’s or South Carolina’s of the world?
Precedent says they might.
It’s time for Alabama to lock in. For this staff to show why they were chosen to run the most prestigious program in collegiate athletics. For Ty Simpson to show he can lead the Crimson Tide.
And above all else, it’s time for the Tide to win.
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