The Alabama Crimson Tide were embarrassed in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday in Atlanta. The Georgia Bulldogs battered the Tide 28-7 in a game that never felt in reach for Alabama -- and they may have ended Bama's hopes of making the College Football Playoff.
During the ABC broadcast, ESPN announcer Kirk Herbstreit made it clear that a blowout loss for the Tide could mean the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Miami Hurricanes, both two-loss teams sitting at home during conference championship weekend, sneak ahead of Alabama.
“This is all about the SEC Championship, but if I’m a Notre Dame or Miami fan, I’m sitting here pulling for Georgia to just keep rolling along,” Herbstreit said. “Make this as big and as bad as you can for Alabama because that could potentially open the door for Miami and Notre Dame if Bama were to get blown out here by Georgia. … I’m not suggesting they are going to get blown out, but I just know there’s so much.
“With Bama getting punished – in my opinion, Bama went to Athens and beat them there. So it would have to get really ugly for them to be punished for losing a game. They have to play a bonus-round game.”
Who told Herbstreit to say that? Lord knows he didn't just go rogue on the broadcast and let that slip. That's an edict from above. And one that spells imminent doom for Kalen DeBoer and Co.
If Alabama misses CFP, Kalen DeBoer must leave Tuscaloosa immediately
DeBoer was one day late getting the chance to join the Penn State Nittany Lions, a school that had been linked to the former CFP runner-up Washington Huskies headman. Penn State hired Matt Campbell away from the Iowa State Cyclones on Friday.
Maybe Iowa State could appeal to DeBoer, who may have to book a one-way flight out of Tuscaloosa after Saturday's embarrassing effort at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. That Alabama fanbase may collectively disapprove of a third year with DeBoer. He got his preferred play-caller in Ryan Grubb and still dropped just seven points in the conference championship game.
DeBoer isn't reaching the "Bama Standard." What happens next should be fairly obvious if the team isn't named to the College Football Playoff field.