Well. It happened. 

In the “Game of the Year,” the Tennessee Volunteers finally ended their 16 years of misery and took down the Alabama Crimson Tide 52-49 in front of a sold out Neyland Stadium this past Saturday.  

The Volunteers have finally gotten over the hump and have entered the College Football Playoff conversation. 

In just his second year as​​ the Volunteers’ head coach, Josh Heupel has completely turned around the program and has them ranked No. 3 in the country — their highest since 2005. Quarterback Hendon Hooker also implemented himself firmly in the Heisman conversation and Tennessee is 6-0 for the first time since 1998. 

What about the team that lost — the team in crimson and white? 

To the fans, the Crimson Tide are coming off a loss much bigger than a box score. The 15-year tradition of lighting victory cigars after the annual beatdown of the team from Knoxville didn’t happen this year. It was a foreign feeling to the fanbase that younger fans have never felt before this past Saturday.  

However, a loss is still just a loss, and the Crimson Tide has had its taste of mid-season defeat within the past decade. 

There was the infamous 9-6 “Game of the Century” loss against LSU in 2011. Many remember the 2012 loss to future Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M. Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss got their second consecutive win against the Crimson Tide in 2015, and finally Jalen Hurts and Alabama lost in stunning fashion to Auburn 26-14 to end its regular season in 2017. 

There’s one commonality between all these games — they are National Championship seasons.  

Since 2011, Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide are a combined 29-1 in the regular season following a loss. In the six seasons since 2011 that the Crimson Tide has suffered a loss, three ended in National Championships and two ended in losses either in the CFP or the National Championship game. If there is one team that knows how to handle adversity, it’s a team under Saban. 

The route to a College Football Playoff berth for the 2022-23 Crimson Tide team is daunting but simple — win out. A two-loss team has never made the playoff before, leaving Alabama with zero room for error throughout the rest of the season, including the SEC Championship. If there was ever a time for a team to start playing their best football, now would be the time for the Crimson Tide, especially on the defensive side.  

“I also told the players that we can accomplish every goal that we’ve had starting at the beginning of the season,” Saban said after Saturday’s loss. “There’s no room for error in the [SEC] West. If we win out in the West, we can win the West and still have a chance go to the SEC Championship Game. But I think the key to the drill is you’ve got to learn from these experiences. You’ve got to learn from mistakes that you made.” 

Alabama looks to bounce back against No. 24 Mississippi State this Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Mike Leach and the Bulldogs have the eighth best passing attack in the nation, led by SEC passing-yards leader Will Rogers. After giving up 385 yards and five touchdowns through the air to Hendon Hooker and the Tennessee Volunteers Saturday, the Alabama defense will need to step up in order to halt the pass-heavy Bulldog offense.  

Kickoff at Bryant-Denny Stadium is set for Saturday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN. 

Questions or comments? Email Austin Hannon (Sports Editor) at [email protected]