Alabama wants to rebound after a loss to Vanderbilt, but will the loss to the Commodores have a negative effect on its College Football Playoff chances?
A college football analyst for Fox Sports feels that way.
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Joel Klatt says it is not out of the realm of possibility for the Crimson Tide to miss the playoff with how tough the remainder of its schedule is. Alabama’s 35-40 loss to Vandy was shocking, disappointing, and upsetting for a lot of people.
The Tide has Tennessee, Missouri, LSU, Oklahoma, and Auburn left on its regular season schedule.
“If Alabama does not clean up this defense, they could absolutely get beat two more times,” Klatt said.
“That is not an easy schedule. Imagine thinking this last Monday. If I told you the undefeated No. 1 team in the country they are actually going to miss the playoff, but look at their remaining games. Now that they have lost to Vanderbilt, it changes your perspective completely. They have South Carolina, they go to Tennessee, they got Missouri, they have to go to LSU, they have to got to Oklahoma, and they have the Iron Bowl. What the defense being what it is and it does not seem like it is going to get fixed anytime soon because we have seen this for four straight games, the weakness is the defense. This is a 2008 Big 12 team that is going to have to win shootouts. When you are at Tennessee, when you are at LSU, and when you are playing the Iron Bowl against Auburn, you are going to see offenses that can be competent. Those two environments, Tennessee and LSU, on the road are going to be incredibly difficult. At one point, you have to assume that Alabama does not have its best stuff offensively, can it win a defensive game? Nope. Not at least right now. Hopefully, they will get better.”
Klatt mentioned that with one loss already in the bag, Alabama would have to finish the remainder of its regular season with one more loss to make the playoff. He does not see a three-loss Tide team getting in, regardless of its win over Georgia.
Alabama’s journey to prove the loss to Vandy was a fluke starting Saturday against South Carolina.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
