The Alabama Crimson Tide took their second loss of the season in Week 12, the first home loss of the Kalen DeBoer era in Tuscaloosa. Their best player suffered an individual loss that he might not be able to recover from.
The Oklahoma Sooners defeated the Tide 23-21 without EDGE R Mason Thomas at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Ty Simpson, with the game on the line, came up short. Just as he did in the first half, when he threw a pick-six to Sooners DB Eli Bowen.
The Birmingham News' Kevin Scarbinsky believes the outing was Simpson's last hope of winning the Heisman going down the drain. Scarbinsky gave Simpson his flowers, but refused to give him the "elite" label.
"It's probably time to stop talking about Ty Simpson for Heisman. Very good season and more to come, but not quite elite," Scarbinsky wrote.
On the broadcast, it was acknowledged that this was Simpson's chance to have a Heisman moment like Fernando Mendoza had for the Indiana Hoosiers last week against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium, throwing the game-winning touchdown to Omar Cooper Jr.
He did not. And now there isn't a Heisman moment left to have.
Auburn can end Alabama's College Football Playoff dream
Now is not the time to start losing. Alabama has already begun its untimely losses after a 31-17 Week 1 loss to the Florida State Seminoles was written off as a necessary evil to get the Crimson Tide locker room's collective mind right.
After losing to Oklahoma, the Iron Bowl now looks like a scary prospect for Alabama. Lose at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Week 14, and their College Football Playoff dream probably gets flushed down the toilet.
With interim head coach DJ Durkin trying to convince AU's brass to keep him as the full-time head coach, the Tigers will be bringing their best on defense, at the very least. If nothing else, Durkin is coaching for his future on the Plains or elsewhere.
Offensively, there's no reason to doubt Derrick Nix and Ashton Daniels now. Auburn's attack was strong against the Vanderbilt Commodores in a 45-38 OT loss, with Daniels hanging 353 passing yards and two touchdowns. Dual-threat quarterbacks have proven to be the Crimson Tide's Achilles heel this season, with FSU's Thomas Castellanos and OU's John Mateer getting the best of Kane Wommack's defense. Daniels has goods, and he knows how to utilize weapons like Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton Jr.
Week 12 just made Week 14 infinitely interesting. Like the 2019 Iron Bowl, AU has the chance to play spoiler to the Tide. And this time around, the Tigers have a chance to become bowl eligible, potentially making the Birmingham Bowl and giving the local fans one last game in 2025.