The decision from the Playoff Committee has come down and it's widely known what Alabama's fate is: No playoffs.
Instead, the Crimson Tide is heading to a bowl game. Specifically, the Outback Bowl - long considered the bowl for the 3rd or 4th place SEC team.
'Bama hasn't finished as lower than 2nd in the SEC standings since 2010: When a 9-3 Crimson Tide squad, nursing a massive national championship headache after Coach Nick Saban's first national title with the program, beat Michigan State. Effectively, it served as a springboard for two subsequent national championships in what would kick off a decade of dominance in Tuscaloosa.
Besides the similar records between 2010 and 2024 going into the bowl, there are very few similarities between the seasons.
In 2010, Bama's losses were to Top 25 teams: No. 19 South Carolina, No. 10 LSU and No. 2 Auburn. In 2024, two of our losses were to teams that finished the year 6-6.
If the Crimson Tide's body of work matched-up in 2024 like it did in 2010, 'Bama likely would have clinched a playoff berth. That's not the case.
In the committee's mind, 'Bama didn't earn its spot. I'm not going to disagree.
Would I have loved the Crimson Tide in the playoffs and battling their way to another national title? Absolutely. But circumstances have changed...drastically.
The college football world has changed almost as much as COVID-19 changed the world.
Last week's early signing day - often heralded as a prognosis on the future of a football program - doesn't hold as much weight as it once did. After all, how many signees will opt for the transfer portal a year from now because their playing time or NIL money wasn't adequate?
There are times in 2024 that the Crimson Tide looked extremely strong - capable of entering the playoffs and running roughshod over the field.
At other times, 'Bama looked as much of a mess as their cross-state archrivals.
Could have expectations been too high going into conference championship weekend? Judge for yourself - had 'Bama's only loss been to Tennessee, the Tide could have had a first-round bye without the hideous loss to Oklahoma still fresh in the playoff committee's mind.
Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide, it's hard to get a gauge on what to expect in the coming years. How much longer the transfer portal and the NIL continues to rampantly rule college football without checks and balances, makes gauging the future very difficult.
Maybe 14 years from now we can look back and see the 2024 season as another springboard for a very successful era in 'Bama football. Hopefully it won't be the start of an era that resembled when guys named Mike ran the program.
Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas SECCafe: we'll see you after the playoffs.
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