Like a Rock: Alabama remains steady force in November
There has only been one season that the Crimson Tide lost every November game since University of Alabama coach Nick Saban took over, and it was their first one together in 2007.
Since then, Alabama has never lost more than two games in the final stretch of the regular season. Really, it only lost two in 2010. Other years, Alabama went untouched or faced just one loss.
“When we lost in November, I think we played to keep from getting beat than being aggressive and playing to win,” Saban said on Monday.
That didn’t happen again. The last time Alabama took a hit in November dates back to the 2013 Iron Bowl at Auburn, which featured the notorious last-second Kick Six.
November matters because the College Football Playoffs are within sight. The first CFP rankings of 2016 came out on the first of the month, with Alabama claiming the No. 1 spot, followed by Clemson, Michigan and Texas A&M. The Aggies got the bump a week later after being upset by Mississippi State and were replaced by Washington.
The top four teams were all undefeated heading into this past weekend’s matchups, but only one came out scratch-free.
“It just shows that any Saturday any team can get beat,” UA linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton said.
Since Alabama took care of business earlier last Saturday, defeating Mississippi State, 51-3, the Crimson Tide was able to relax and watch chaos unfold among the rest of the college football world.
Clemson lost to Pittsburgh and Michigan lost to Iowa, both by a point. Then, Washington fell hard to Southern Cal.
“It was crazy because now stuff is going to be out of whack,” wide receiver ArDarius Stewart said. “People thought it was going to be like that for the rest of the season, and it threw the charts off a lot.”
There are only two undefeated teams remaining: No. 1 Alabama and No. 21 Western Michigan, both 10-0.
The CFP releases its updated rankings Tuesday night.
“The message is when you win, you control your own destiny,” Saban said. “When you don’t, you allow someone else to determine what your fate’s going to be.”
This is why Saban preaches to never take an opponent lightly. One game can alter the outcome of a team’s season.
Adding to the list of upsets, unranked Georgia topped No. 9 Auburn, which handed Alabama the SEC West title even if the Tigers defeat the Crimson Tide in two weeks.
“I honestly didn’t even know that until my dad told me,” Hamilton said. “I didn’t know it. It’s not going to affect us because every Saturday we try to come out and play ball.”
A conference title doesn’t guarantee a spot in the postseason either, which Saban believes is the right decision. The Big 12, among the Power Five conferences, doesn’t have a championship game. A single game also doesn’t reflect an entire season. Margin of victory doesn’t necessarily matter either.
There are many variables, but Selection Day is 20 days away regardless.
“Nobody can be satisfied with where they are right now,” Saban said. “I’m certainly not satisfied where we are right now.”