Alabama Football: Did a dominant Tide prove something against Ole Miss?

Since the celebrating of another Alabama Football National Championship ended last winter, Crimson Tide fans have known 2021 would be nothing like 2020. Five games into the 2021 season, any vision of what the season will become still remains cloudy. But being five weeks in gives a peek of what might happen.

On Saturday afternoon, the Alabama Crimson Tide destroyed what was perceived to be the nation’s 12th best football team. If Ole Miss was deserving of that ranking, the Crimson Tide is a stronger team than its first four games indicated.

Beating the Florida Gators in The Swamp was a strong win. But were the Gators deserving of their then, No. 9 ranking in the Coaches Poll? They were also ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll and went into Saturday night’s Kentucky game at No. 10. Taking nothing away from the Kentucky win, but Florida’s eight false start penalties were one indication of a flawed Gators’ team.

After the Tide’s 5-0 start, it is hard to decide which win came against the best team. Mercer, Southern Mississippi and another bad Miami team are not in consideration. So is it two-loss Florida or a one-loss Ole Miss team the Tide overwhelmed?

What does it matter at five games into the season? For Alabama football fans, everything matters – all the time. There is plenty of reason for optimism for the remainder of the regular season. Speculating on whether Alabama Football or the Georgia Bulldogs are the nation’s best team does not matter until December. If the Tide’s opposition so far is suspect, so is Georgia’s. Arkansas showed Saturday it was not near ready to be a contender for anything. The Bulldogs’ Clemson win becomes more tarnished every week.

There is plenty of work left for the Crimson Tide to do until December. Except for the other Aggies from New Mexico State, other SEC teams will try to make their seasons by upsetting the Tide. Though now at two losses, Kyle Field will be packed with Aggies Saturday night, providing a tough environment comparable to The Swamp.

When the latest polls come out Sunday, Alabama Football and Georgia will be No. 1 and No. 2 again. So far this season the pair have established a wide separation between themselves and the rest of college football.

There will still be clamor. There will be wailing the Crimson Tide has not played ‘anyone’ of merit. After week five, there are 17 unbeaten FBS teams. Six to eight of them are inconsequential to anyone other than their fans. Saving the embarrassment, they will not be named here.

That basically leaves Alabama, Georgia and seven other teams. All but one of them will, in the coming weeks, play at least one of the other teams. At most, there will be five undefeated teams at the end of the season. The college football world will again argue about the fourth seed in the Playoff.

Assuming only one loss for either the Crimson Tide or Georgia, coming in the SEC Championship game, it will be unfair if an undefeated or one-loss team knocks the Tide or the Bulldogs out of the Playoff.

The first College Football Playoff Rankings will be released one month from Tuesday (on Nov. 2). Imagine the meltdown if the last ranking on Dec. 5 is Alabama, Georgia, Cincinnati, and just one other Power Five team.