You knew Alabama was going to be punished for its pitiful performance in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon. After holding steady in both the AP and Coaches Polls last week despite a three-point home loss to Georgia, the Crimson Tide took a sharp fall this week after the 16-point loss to Tennessee.
Now, Alabama is on the outside looking in for the College Football Playoff and has zero margin for error with five regular-season games remaining.
On Sunday, Alabama dropped to No. 13 in both the AP and Coaches Polls, a seven-spot drop in the AP and a six-spot drop in the Coaches.
Alabama drops to No. 13 in both the AP and Coaches Polls after losing to Tennessee
Alabama built up a lot of positive equity in the first five weeks of the season, rolling to a 5-0 record and earning a 28-point win over Kentucky on the road that continues to look better and better as the season progresses.
The Crimson Tide had a real margin for error heading into the Georgia game last week. Unfortunately, back-to-back losses have removed that margin. Now, to guarantee a berth in the College Football Playoff, Alabama will need to go 5-0 over the final five weeks of the regular season.
It won't be easy. Those five games include a trip to Baton Rouge on November 7th. It starts next week at home against Texas A&M with a desperate Aggies team. There's another road trip to Vanderbilt, where Alabama lost two years ago, and a home game against a suddenly competent Auburn team that just took down Georgia in Athens.
The only gimme game on the schedule is the annual FCS cupcake. Otherwise, it's a grind every single week. And if Alabama plays the way it played again in Knoxville, it could lose any of the four SEC games it has remaining.
The margin in his league is razor-thin. That's a fact that Kalen DeBoer is still having an issue comprehending. There are no off weeks. You can lose to anyone.
Alabama is capable of competing with the upper echelon of the sport. They proved that against Georgia. But they haven't proven they can do it week-to-week. That's the next step, and one that may not be taken without some fundamental changes on both sides of the ball.
Alabama is a heavy home favorite over Texas A&M this week as it looks to bounce back from a difficult weekend in Knoxville.
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