Ty Simpson was quoted a month ago, saying that "November has the games you are going to remember."
It was a November - and early December - to forget for the Alabama quarterback, who went from a Heisman contender and the talk of the 2026 NFL Draft class to not getting invited to New York and many pundits believing he should come back for another year of college football.
Saturday's SEC Championship Game was Simpson's worst performance of the season. He was just 19-of-39 for 212 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Three of his four worst performances of the season in terms of QBR have come now in Alabama's last three games.
The Simpson we saw in the aftermath of the Florida State loss seems more like a distant memory. He's clearly rattled, which was evident in several of his non-decisions against Georgia.
But Alabama's offensive failures are far from just Simpson's fault. He hasn't helped matters recently, but he's also being asked to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. The Tide's ground game has been frequently pathetic. The offensive line has failed to keep him upright. The receivers drop way too many catchable passes and rarely do much after the catch (Ryan Williams excluded).
Those facts haven't prevented Simpson from drawing the ire of the Alabama fanbase, however. It's par for the course when you're the quarterback. But his teammates still believe in him, and they remain outwardly confident that the ship can be righted.
"Nothing's wrong with him," Germie Bernard said in the aftermath of the SEC Championship Game. "I'm proud of him, the way he's been playing. Everybody's banged up during this stretch of the season. He's resilient. He's just a fighter. ...If we do get our chance to keep on going, I know he's going to show up."
Germie Bernard knows Ty Simpson will 'show up' in the College Football Playoff
There's a lot to fix for Alabama in a small amount of time. The good news is that the Crimson Tide should be a lot healthier against Oklahoma on the 19th than they were against Georgia this past weekend.
Offensively, guys like Jam Miller, Josh Cuevas, and Kam Dewberry should be able to play after sitting out the SEC Championship Game. Parker Brailsford should be back close to 100%, something that Kalen DeBoer called a "big deal."
Simpson needs more help than he's gotten. From his teammates and his offensive coordinator. He's got to be put in situations where he has a chance to succeed, and the weight of the world isn't bearing down on his shoulders.
Because you can bet that Oklahoma is going to devise a game plan similar to what Georgia threw at Simpson and Alabama in Atlanta.
How the offense responds will determine whether Alabama can prove the doubters wrong of it will be a one-and-done playoff exit.