On Tuesday, when Alabama was ranked No. 5 by the College Football Playoff committee, everyone outside of Tuscaloosa lost their collective minds. They thought the Crimson Tide was overrated. The system was biased for Alabama. Again. They said.
But the committee knew something that even Alabama fans had trouble believing coming into this game.
Alabama is one of the best teams in the country, and the loss to Tennessee was more due to injury issues and a beaten-up team the week after a war with Georgia. That week led to the damnedest result of the whole season: Georgia falling at home to Auburn. That was noteworthy. The committee noticed even if others didn't want to.
And coming out of the bye week, a healthier Crimson Tide team rolled to a 31-13 win over LSU. Trailing 13-10 when the sun set in Death Valley, Alabama scored 21 unanswered points to earn an emphatic win over the Tigers in Baton Rouge. A place that has been a house of horrors for so many has consistently been home for the Crimson Tide. Bryant-Denny West, as it has been affectionately called by many fans.
And now, at 7-2, Alabama is in exceptional shape in the College Football Playoff race.
Alabama earns a massive win over LSU for its College Football Playoff hopes
The committee may have handed Alabama an extra mulligan with the No. 5 ranking, but it wasn't needed. Alabama did exactly what it needed to do during the four-game stretch everyone thought would be season-defining in the preseason. They went 2-2, winning the five games before it, to put themselves in an excellent position heading into the season's final three weeks.
Not many had faith in the Crimson Tide heading into this game. Plenty of Alabama fans even predicted a loss. Alabama was a near-touchdown underdog, an unfamiliar position for this program in the last two decades.
But Kalen DeBoer did what he does in these spots. He's now won nine games in a row as a head coach after a bye week. Ryan Grubb wasn't perfect, but he called enough brilliant plays to produce points in critical situations. He severely outcoached Lane Kiffin and LSU OC Charlie Weis Jr. in the redzone, which decided the game.
And then there's Kane Wommack, whose swarm defensive scheme has drawn a ton of criticism. Against LSU, it gave up 457 yards. But only 13 points. It bowed up when it mattered the most, forcing LSU to go 0-for-4 on fourth downs.
When they had to have a play, the defense constantly made them. Over and over again.
The job is far from finished, though. Alabama has three more regular-season games, and DeBoer teams have frequently struggled to handle prosperity. Next week at Vanderbilt is a major trap game opportunity that the Crimson Tide has to avoid. Auburn still looms in the Iron Bowl, too.
But that's a problem for another day. For today, Alabama looked like the contender we saw in September and early October.
The committee was right.
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