Path to the Peach Bowl: Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama will face off in a rematch against Oklahoma on the road for the first round of the College Football Playoff. Their journey to get here had its share of ups and downs, but they are here and are now just four games away from a National Championship.

Alabama started off the season with a loss to Florida State. At that moment, Alabama fans were questioning whether DeBoer was the right fit for the team, while others were claiming that Florida State was back. Unfortunately, the latter proved to be false as Florida State started the season 3-0 and then fell off the face of the earth. They ended up losing four games in a row and closed out their season with a humiliating 40-21 loss against their rival, Florida. They finished the season 5-7 and left many scratching their heads.

After the Florida State loss, Alabama really turned things around. They went on to win eight games in a row, but their level of dominance went from very high to fizzling out, and they were just doing enough to get by.

ULM and Wisconsin were solid bounce-back games for Alabama to prepare them for their trip to Athens to take on Georgia. After having a 24-14 lead at the half, Alabama missed a field goal on its opening drive of the second half, and its defense was able to guide them the rest of the way. Early in the fourth quarter, Georgia had a chance to tie the game, but instead ended up with a turnover on downs. Alabama won the game 24-21 and, at that point, redeemed itself in the eyes of the voters.

After the Georgia game, this was the moment where Alabama just looked different. Against Vanderbilt, the score does not indicate just how close the game was. With Missouri, Missouri was essentially 1-second and a half of a yard away from winning the game. Against Tennessee, Alabama played with a bit of swagger and was able to handle business. After this moment, the struggle began.

On the road at South Carolina, 10 minutes left in the game, and South Carolina had a 22-14 lead. Alabama was able to march down, score, and then convert the two-point conversion, tying the game at 22. South Carolina is driving, and LaNorris Sellers fumbles, giving Alabama good field position, which they capitalize on to officially seal the game. Alabama escapes.

Against LSU, it was a game of struggle for both teams. LSU could not find the endzone, and small errors gave Alabama a chance to secure points. It was not a pretty win for Alabama. They then welcomed Oklahoma, and the Sooners were able to play smart football and do just enough to secure the victory. After that game, they easily handle Eastern Illinois and then prepare to travel to Auburn for the Iron Bowl. In that game, Alabama was able to jump out to a quick lead, but Auburn was able to claw its way back and make things interesting late. Following a fumble on a drive that Auburn seemed destined to score on, Alabama was able to secure the victory, but again, it was not pretty.

Then came the SEC Championship game against Georgia. After their first game, many assumed that Alabama could pull it out again. They were wrong. Georgia absolutely dominated Alabama from start to finish. There was absolutely no hope. Thankfully for Alabama, they already had a win against Georgia, so their spot in the playoff ended up being safe.

The season as a whole was not up to the “Alabama Standard.” While many good things happened for Alabama, the level of dominance that they have shown in the past was simply not there. Luckily for them, they were able to secure some key victories to set them up for a Playoff appearance.