Bama Game Thread: Official PostGame Thread Bama vs. LSU...

[Bamabuzzard]

Alabama's last two losses have been to team's with head coaches you could generously call "CEOs" that basically add nothing to their team on game day other than emotional support and mostly pay dividends in the off-season as recruiters. Alabama lost each of those games because the coordinator level and down on the staff were inferior. The brain drain at the Capstone is real. It was bound to happen eventually but I think we've had a bad run of coordinator hires and it is killing us when the talent levels are nearly equivalent. These guys aren't bad but I don't think either of the past two years approach what we had from 2008-2016.

AMEN FROM THE BACK ROW! I'll admit the players made their share of mistakes on the field. But the entire time I watched that game there was no doubt their offensive coordinator was one and two steps ahead of what we were doing on defense. There's only so many times you can say a player was out of position. LSU offensive coordinator took our DC to school. Repeatedly, all game long. I credit any success we did have on defense purely from the will and grit of those players trying not to lose. The offensive line soiled their pants in the first half. Not able to open holes, allowing constant penetration. Yeah, they cleaned it up in the second half but not after a 20 pt lead. There are a lot more things that have "slipped" within the program in the last few years. We're still in great shape overall as a program. Even with the issues we have we have championship talent. We just need to get the assistant coaches back to championship level.

 

[yesitsmed23]

Yep I saw it on Instagram and i sent DM’d it to several players and Coach Cochran

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

This was live streamed by an LSU player, so I imagine someone will be in trouble. You can hear O saying they are going to beat our you know whats in recruiting, and they're going to beat our you know whats every time they see us. "Roll Tide What" followed by a massive letter that follows E bomb. He's definitely an ogre.

We shall see...…………….he doesn't seem like the sharpest knife in the drawer

 

[TideEngineer08]

This was live streamed by an LSU player, so I imagine someone will be in trouble. You can hear O saying they are going to beat our you know whats in recruiting, and they're going to beat our you know whats every time they see us. "Roll Tide What" followed by a massive letter that follows E bomb. He's definitely an ogre.

To the victor goes the spoils, but he will live to regret that.

 

[UntouchableCrew]

I'm not going to get my hopes up or anything. This was our shot and we blew it in the first half. But our best case scenario right now would be...

1. LSU wins out
2. Big 12 champ has 2 losses
3. Oregon wins Pac 12.
4. Auburn beats Georgia
5. We crush Auburn.

So, a lot would probably have to go right

I don't think Oregon winning the Pac-12 would be good for us. I don't think the Auburn eye test will matter that much, I think a 12-1 Oregon P5 champ is going to be ahead of us. Really I think you just want the winner of the Pac-12 to have two losses. Our best avenue will always be the Pac-12 and Big 12 champs having two losses.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

The crazy thing is Saban is usually ultra conservative before a half and the one time he isn't it bit us big time. That was the difference in the game that damn TO before the half.

 

[Gallowglas]

I don't think we are one of the four best overall teams

I think if you acknowledge that LSU is in the top 3, then we're definitely in the top 4. Had Tua not bobbled the ball in the red zone, we score and the game is ours. Yes, I realize that "what ifs" don't count for anything, but the truth is that LSU's offense is legitimately good and Burrow may very well be the clear choice for Heisman.

Now, do I think we end up in the final four? Probably not.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

To the victor goes the spoils, but he will live to regret that.

Be funny if some recruits parents saw that

 

[bamacon]

There are no such things as moral victories in Tuscaloosa, but there is a moral way we as fans can respond to a tough loss. Sure, there were many missed calls from a crew who couldn't decide if they wanted to be tick-tack or "let 'em play", but fans have a way of getting the magnifying glass out for missed calls that don't go their way while quickly forgetting the ones that do.

LSU is a fantastic team, and we are unevenly very good as well, but our glaring weakness (the middle of the defense) couldn't be masked against their offense. We are starting six true freshmen on defense...six, but the question has to be asked for why the sophomores and juniors ahead of them haven't been developed, and then we have to ask if that lack of development, subpar fundamentals and overall softness that's a far cry from our defenses of the recent past coincides with when the current coordinator took over. But that's a question for January, not now.

I don't think we are one of the four best overall teams, and I think it would be wrong to approach the rest of this season as "playoffs or bust". We've got a chance to finish strong against teams that aren't even close to LSU's offense. We need to remember the days when beating Auburn and going to a good bowl meant everything, and not some hollow consolation. There's still a lot to play for... including a possible Sugar Bowl match-up with Mr. Hurts and the Sooners which could be very special.

Don't ever forget the heroicism of Tua, and I'm glad Najee could have a day like this on the big stage.

Forever RTR.

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I agree with the approach of focusing on each team and taking care of business but you cannot convince me that Bama isn't one of the 4 best teams. Bama would beat the brakes off of either Minnesota or Penn St. You could add Oregon to that list too. I don't think Bama is a lock or the best team and I think the deficiencies are significant enough that any of the top teams can beat them. That said each of those teams could be beaten by Bama too.

Clemson will NOT lose. They are a lock. The ACC is an embarassment. There is no other word for how bad it has gotten.
tOSU is not losing either.
LSU is a lock for the SECG but I'm not writing off UGA as much as I'd like to. I think their defense will give LSU more trouble than people think.

Oklahoma is the biggest X-factor in my opinion. If they win out and look impressive doing so I think they'll get the nod. Besides, Heather Dinich says so as she has already started her "Keep Bama out of the Final Four" narrative already. She's extremely annoying.

 

[mlh]

Oklahoma will win out. I’m not sure that we do. We will be an underdog on the plains.

Oklahoma will win out. Oregon will probably win out. So the committee will have to decide if a Big 12 or Pac 12 conference champ with 1 loss is better than Bama with 1 loss to one of the best teams in the nation. It's not really about strength of schedule. It's about who you lost to. Oklahoma lost to an unranked team and Oregon lost to a team that Bama will beat at the end of the season.

If we win out, we still have a chance to get into the playoffs without winning the SECC. Been there, done that.

RTR!

 

[CoachJeff]

Oklahoma will win out. I’m not sure that we do. We will be an underdog on the plains.

Bama will be a double digit favorite in Auburn.

 

[BamaBuc]

Congrats to LSU. You whipped us at the LOS. I'm proud of the way we came back in the second half to at least make it close. We have issues to work on but I'm not sure we have the talent to correct them. You can't improve team speed through practice, but we can go to Junction and get back to some physical play.

Burrow was 31 of 39 for 393 yds. and 3 Td's, his avg per completion was 12.67 yds., 31 pass completions tells me they beat the heck out of our secondary!
Their ground game was 37 attempts for 171 yds. with 3 td's, a 4.62 yds per carry avg....not anything awe inspiring!

They ran 76 plays to our 67...

By comparison Tua was 21 of 40 for 418 yds. and 4 TD's with 1 Int., his avg per completion was 19.90 yds.
Our rushing stats were 27 attempts for 125 yds. or 4.62 yds. per carry avg. (those stats are a little skewed by our punters -19 yds. and Tua's -5).

The QB's avg. yds. per attempt were almost identical, Burrow 10.1 and Tua 10.5...

 

[Tides_of_Change]

I think if you acknowledge that LSU is in the top 3, then we're definitely in the top 4. Had Tua not bobbled the ball in the red zone, we score and the game is ours. Yes, I realize that "what ifs" don't count for anything, but the truth is that LSU's offense is legitimately good and Burrow may very well be the clear choice for Heisman.

Now, do I think we end up in the final four? Probably not.

I appreciate your point; it really depends on the context, and it's why I said "overall" team. Our defense is such a huge liability right now, and it's so soft against the run facing top competition, plus the poor tackling and overall lack of toughness.... I just don't see us passing the test for the committee with the other options available by the end of the year if things hold serve. If they somehow do, great, but this shouldn't be a "playoffs or bust" expectation going forward. That was my main point.

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[RollTide_HTTR]

I don't think Oregon winning the Pac-12 would be good for us. I don't think the Auburn eye test will matter that much, I think a 12-1 Oregon P5 champ is going to be ahead of us. Really I think you just want the winner of the Pac-12 to have two losses. Our best avenue will always be the Pac-12 and Big 12 champs having two losses.

idk I think if we crush a top 10 Auburn team on the road it'll be close since Auburn would be Oregon's loss. It'll probably depend on how Oregon looks. I agree itd be better if it were a 2 loss pac 12 team but that seems less likely.

 

[TideEngineer08]

For certain, the media is gleeful we lost and will protest our inclusion, but the CFP committee has proven to be somewhat insulated from that talk over the life of the CFP so far.

It's going to take a lot, but I don't think it is going to take anything outlandish. We've certainly seen stranger happen in both the BCS and CFP eras. The problem for everyone else is that we are clearly one of the top teams, and when we lose, it's an obvious aberration. We can go on and on about our defensive issues, but the truth of the matter is we made a ton of uncharacteristic errors in this game, even for this team. So the waters will be muddied if we win out.

And we should win out.

 

[RollTide_HTTR]

Every bit of that is feasible though.

agreed

 

[37bamagreats55]

you cannot convince me that Bama isn't one of the 4 best teams.

1. Our defense is sub-par at best. I don't see this improving since its has shown little to no improvement through the first 9 games of the season.
2. Our special teams is worse than our defense. Our kickers consistently miss extra points and our punting average ranks near the bottom of the CFB standings.

 

[rgw]

It seems crazy to say this but given the CFP's history and what I see as the realistic options on the table:


Alabama has better than a coin flip chance of making the CFP if they just finish the regular season 11-1.


It isn't a cinch but I think the possibility of a direct comparison of Alabama to Oregon would loom large in that scenario.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

1. Our defense is sub-par at best. I don't see this improving since its has shown little to no improvement through the first 9 games of the season.
2. Our special teams is worse than our defense. Our kickers consistently miss extra points and our punting average ranks near the bottom of the CFB standings.

Hopefully Reichard will be well soon...……………..that will help one side...…………..the defense will just have to be a work in progress

 

[TideEngineer08]

1. Our defense is sub-par at best. I don't see this improving since its has shown little to no improvement through the first 9 games of the season.
2. Our special teams is worse than our defense. Our kickers consistently miss extra points and our punting average ranks near the bottom of the CFB standings.

Our offense can outscore any other offense in the country if Tua is healthy. That's our wildcard.

What you say is true, but the Tua factor overcomes it.

I'm not sure we'd beat Ohio State, but I'm convinced we could and probably would beat anyone else, even LSU in a rematch.