In 1964, the Texas Longhorns, the No. 1 team in the nation and defending AP college football champions, held a sign in their locker room that read, “They say what goes up must come down – but who says when?”
Five weeks later, the Arkansas Razorbacks said when. The 8th-ranked Razorbacks marched into Texas Memorial Stadium and beat the seemingly invincible Longhorns in their house 14-13, proving the mighty Texas team wasn’t quite as infallible as everyone thought it was.
Starting to sound familiar yet? The same story is being told this year, right now. The Alabama Crimson Tide, so long looked on as one of the most untouchable, unapproachable and unbeatable teams in college football, the defending BCS champions and consensus No. 1 team in the land, proved itself to be only human in a loss to the Texas A&M Aggies Saturday.
The loss stings for Tide fans, obviously. Of course, everyone knew eventually Alabama would have to lose a game. Everyone just hoped it wouldn’t be this year, and especially so close to what would have been an unprecedented string of championships for the Crimson Tide. And, for a team like Alabama, that is certainly saying something.
That knowledge only makes losing that much more unbearable. Some fans will try to take something from it, something to dull that unfamiliar pain of a loss, but in the end, it doesn’t do much. Moral victories are fine and good, but for Alabama fans, real victories are preferred to moral ones any day.
Even so, this Alabama team has a lot to play for. This team, although its chances are greatly diminished, still has a slim chance to make the BCS Championship game in Miami. And even if it doesn’t make it, the Tide can win out, earning an 11-win regular season and the SEC Championship – its first since 2009.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban has said as much and is now tasked with making sure his team heads into the remainder of its games with the right attitude.
Western Carolina doesn’t pose much of a threat, but the following week, a game against “those other guys” across the state will have a serious impact not only on this team’s immediate success, but how this team is looked at in the years to come.
Not only will it determine if Alabama makes the SEC championship in Atlanta, but any loss to Auburn marks a profoundly, fundamentally flawed season for Alabama. And I’m sure that’s nothing any fan wants.
There you have it. Perfect, this team will not be. But, the owner of 11 wins? State champions? SEC champions? All possible. Maybe even national champs, with a little luck. That’s a lot to play for, regardless of which team you are.
However, all that depends on the attitude Alabama takes into the remainder of its games. If it’s caught moping after its loss to the Aggies, this season could take a sour turn. But, if it heads into each of its games with the right mental attitude, as Saban would say, this year could still be remembered as one of the greats.
