Alabama Football: Hats off to the National Champion, Clemson

Alabama football was soundly defeated by the Clemson Tigers in the National Championship game. Where does the Tide go from here?

Alabama football fans now get an opportunity to lose graciously. Our skills for that task are rusty. Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football team deserve our sincere congratulations. When it mattered, Clemson was a better a football team than the Crimson Tide.

Alabama football was outplayed and outcoached Monday night. And it was not close. We are not quite prepared to say  Mike Locksley did not deserve the Broyles Award as the CFB’s best assistant coach. But Monday night, Brent Venables made a strong case he should have been the winner. Even worse, Venables wasn’t even nominated. If Venables made a bad defensive call Monday night, we missed it. His defensive plan made the mighty Crimson Tide explosive offense look only average.

Job one for Alabama football fans is to acknowledge Clemson’s earned reward. Follow that by stifling any and all excuses. Alabama football was so thoroughly beaten, it would have made no difference having 100 percent healthy Terrell Lewis and Christian Miller. No Crimson Tide excuses have any merit.

What Dabo has achieved at Clemson is extraordinary. Dabo is good for college football and his program is now big-time elite.

Clemson is not going away and now the question is what happens next for Nick Saban and Alabama football. There is no reason to doubt the Crimson Tide will snap back and again put itself in the thick of the 2019 national championship competition. Of course, there will nationwide rejoicing over the Tide failing on the biggest stage. Many epitaphs will be penned about the end of the Alabama football dynasty.

One thing was clear Monday night. Clemson knew it could win, rather than hoped it would win. Taking down the Crimson Tide in such a dominating fashion will encourage more belief in future Alabama football opponents.

Should Alabama football fans be more than disappointed? There is no denying, no Nick Saban, Alabama football team has ever before been so dominated. The margin of victory for Clemson was greater than any of the Crimson Tide’s now 21 losses under Nick Saban. The beatdown was so complete, we should admit it was Clemson who “made asses quit.”

What it means going forward is unknown. The next month will offer some clues. What happens with staff changes and player exits will be an indicator. The last few open slots in the 2019 recruiting class may or may not be impacted.

The best advice we have for fellow Alabama football fans is it has been one heck of a ride and no one should be sure it is close to being over.