Alabama fans may be stressing and going over all the scenarios for the Crimson Tide to still make the College Football Playoff in the aftermath of the team's second loss of the season, but that doesn't appear to be extending into the locker room.
Not for senior WR Germie Bernard, anyway.
Bernard has been one of the few constants on the Tide's offense. He's been the go-to guy in the WR room. In the two-point loss to Oklahoma, Bernard caught seven passes for 71 yards and had opportunities to make a few more plays if Ty Simpson could have gotten the ball to him.
Bernard appears to have already shaken off the loss to Oklahoma. He's fully prepared for what lies ahead, and he has complete faith in his team to bounce back just like they did following the loss to Florida State at the end of August.
"There's still a lot at stake and we're gonna get it done, man," Bernard told the Next Round Live, via 247's Mike Rodak. "Not stressed at all."
Alabama remains 'optimistic' according to Germie Bernard
There's plenty of reason for optimism, even if it didn't feel like it in the immediate aftermath of Saturday's loss. But with the benefit of hindsight, Alabama did plenty well against Oklahoma and probably should have won the game.
Alabama's post-game win expectancy was 95.2%. The loss was, mostly, a fluke. Credit to the Sooners for taking advantage of the mistakes, but it was the Tide's miscues that caused the result to be what it was.
The defense was outstanding. And outside of the two disastrous turnovers, the offense was better than anyone wants to admit. Ty Simpson and the offense racked up over 400 yards against one of the top defenses in the country. And that's despite leaving significant money on the table.
It might not have felt like it, but it was a step in the right direction for an offense that felt like it was stuck in mud for a few weeks. That's encouraging going into a gimme game against Eastern Illinois and then a road Iron Bowl with everything on the line.
Alabama still controls its own destiny with two regular-season games to go. Win the next two, and you're in the College Football Playoff. It's that simple. And it's that fact that has the locker room still pretty optimistic moving forward.
"We are still optimistic," Bernard said. "We've still got a great mindset because we know that we still have everything we want in front of us."