'Bama got destroyed...

I thought Alabama would win. But it didn't surprise me they lost. How they lost was a little surprising. The warps and fractures of the Alabama defense came back to roost in the poorest defensive effort we've seen in the Saban era. 

The Tide secondary was horrible and frankly, they seemed ill-prepared. Only Sabana could address them with any clarity. I'd like to think that several Tide players who were likely to leave for the NFL would stick around one more season. Clemson had several who did that and it seemed to make a lot of difference. No hard feelings on my part if they leave.  Money is money. Some families need money the players will earn.

The bigger question is how was Alabama so flat, and how could they execute so poorly.  Here is
how: They just weren't ready to play. They were stunned and didn't have what it took to come back. That happens. It happened to Alabama. It doesn't happen often to the Tide but it seemed worse on the biggest stage in college football. Despite the loss, the Tide had a remarkable season. But remarkable isn't the Alabama standard. The standard was one game better. Gloom has descended on Alabama. It will pass. The sun came up as always. A lesson learned.