📉 ATLANTA, GA — The Alabama Crimson Tide entered the SEC Championship Game hoping to secure its spot in the expanded College Football Playoff (CFP). Instead, the team delivered a disheartening, regression-filled performance against the Georgia Bulldogs, leaving its postseason fate entirely in the hands of the selection committee.
Alabama looked like a program that had lost momentum throughout the season, running headfirst into a Georgia squad hitting its championship stride. The 28-7 final score felt worse than it looked, raising immediate questions about whether the Tide belongs in the CFP field or should be relegated to a less prestigious bowl assignment.
Here are the five most damning observations from the decimation in Atlanta:
1. The Baffling Regression of Ty Simpson
The rollercoaster ride of redshirt junior quarterback Ty Simpson has been the defining narrative of Alabama’s offensive inconsistency. Simpson went from being questioned after the early season loss to Florida State, to a meteoric rise that briefly put him in the Heisman Trophy conversation, and finally, to a level of regression that saw legitimate questions raised about whether Coach Kalen DeBoer should have benched him for either Austin Mack or Keelon Russell during the SEC Championship.
Simpson is not the only problem, but he is a major part of the offensive collapse. The book is officially out on him: Georgia stacked the box, eliminating the Tide’s already non-existent running game, and flooded the intermediate passing lanes where Simpson usually thrived. He showed an inability to adjust, frequently hesitating and missing key opportunities, such as an open Ryan Williams on a stutter-and-go deep route in the second half. His trust in what he’s seeing has evaporated.
2. The Non-Existent Running Game
Alabama finished the game with a shocking -3 rushing yards when accounting for sack yardage. This abysmal production eliminated any semblance of offensive balance and forced Simpson to carry the load entirely, something he proved incapable of doing against an elite Georgia Defense. Missing running back Jam Miller due to injury only highlighted the depth issues at the position, making the Tide’s offense entirely one-dimensional and predictable.
3. Special Teams Disaster
The game’s momentum was irrevocably seized by Georgia in the first quarter when they blocked an Alabama punt, setting up their first touchdown from the 21-yard line. In a tight, defensive battle, that special teams miscue was a fatal, unforced error that handed the Bulldogs the early lead and the psychological edge they never relinquished.
4. Third Down Failures
The previous meeting between these two teams saw Alabama dominate on third downs. That advantage completely reversed in the SEC Championship. The Crimson Tide converted just 3-of-13 third downs, consistently forcing the offense off the field. This inability to sustain drives meant the defense was constantly back on the field, preventing any chance for momentum to build.
5. CFP Legitimacy Questioned
While Vegas odds still favor Alabama to make the expanded CFP, the nature of this 21-point loss—which felt like a dominant defeat from start to finish—throws serious doubt onto their legitimacy. Alabama looked like a team regressing at the wrong time, whereas Georgia looked like a definitive National Championship favorite. Making the playoff as a three-loss team after such a lopsided conference championship performance will be a controversial decision, raising the question of whether the committee will prioritize brand and schedule strength over recent form.