The five downfalls that doomed the Alabama Crimson Tide's championship run

For the first time since 2010, Alabama heads into the postseason with more than one blemish on its record. Following its loss in the Iron Bowl, the Crimson Tide dropped to No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25, marking the first time it had fallen out of the top five of the poll in four years. This year will also mark the first time Alabama is not a part of the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide had been a part of all five previous playoffs.

Here’s a look at five downfalls that doomed Alabama’s championship run this season.

This one comes as no surprise. However, a look at the severity of Alabama’s penalty crisis might still shock you.

The Crimson Tide has been flagged 90 times for a total of 830 yards through 12 games this season. That’s 7.5 penalties per game and 69.2 penalty yards per game, which both rank worst in the SEC. Both of those categories also serve as the most in the Nick Saban era. For perspective, Alabama was penalized a total of 87 times resulting in 796 yards over 15 games last season.

Making matters worse, Alabama’s penalty problem often popped up at the worst times. Many of the Crimson Tide’s mental errors either wiped out big plays on offense and special teams or allowed opposing offenses to extend drives on third and fourth down.

That was the case in the loss to Auburn over the weekend as Alabama committed a season-high 13 penalties. Here are a few critical flags of note from that game.

— During the second quarter, Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II was called for pass interference on third-and-10 from the Auburn 25. The Tigers went on to kick a field goal to tie the game at 10.

— During the third quarter, Trevon Diggs jumped offside on a fourth-and-4 field goal attempt. Auburn made the field goal but took the points off the board. The penalty didn’t end up costing Alabama too much as the Tigers later settled for another field goal.

— With a little over a minute remaining, Alabama was flagged for a substitution infraction as Auburn lined up with its punter at wide receiver on fourth-and-4 from its own 26-yard line. The foul gave the Tigers a first down and allowed them to run out the clock.