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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No two college football dynasties are exactly alike, but they all look the same at the end. At first, they are so mighty it almost takes something from the cosmos to strike them down. Maybe an amazing effort from an opponent, maybe a bolt of bad of luck. Then the veneer of invincibility gets stripped away and those moments tend to come more frequently and forcefully. Before you know it, the run of excellence goes from difficult to maintain to impossible.
...
For all of its No. 1-ranked recruiting classes, Alabama can no longer dictate the way games are played. For all of the defensive talent that rolls through and shuffles off to the NFL, the Crimson Tide can no longer shut down good teams down. For all the time they had to replace AJ McCarron, they are now in the midst of a second consecutive season without a reliable quarterback.
...
Alabama can talk all it wants about giving Ole Miss short fields by fumbling two kickoff returns — including the first play of the game — and being on the wrong end of a bizarre tipped touchdown early in the third quarter that never should have been thrown in the first place after a bad snap caromed off Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly's hands and high into the air.
"We fought hard, but we shot ourselves in the foot too many times," Alabama center Ryan Kelly said. "It's hard to win when you turn it over so many times. We gave them 31 points and it's hard, especially in this conference, to do that and come out with a victory."
That was the message from Alabama, repeated over and over Saturday. Gave Ole Miss 31 points? As though they weren't earned?
Look, the Rebels scored those points not just because of the turnovers but because they have two things Alabama lacks: A field goal kicker and a good quarterback.
Three years ago, Alabama could win without either one, against practically any opponent. They were so dominant up front, the recipe was simple: Run the ball, occasionally get it to one of their studs on the perimeter and play hellacious defense. It had a margin for error to account for missed field goals, unlucky plays or the occasional turnover.
These days, Alabama's best receiver is a graduate transfer from Oregon State (Richard Mullaney), its running game comes and goes, it plays a team almost every week with a more dangerous quarterback and its defense is frequently sub-par against spread offenses.
...
And now Alabama has to be perfect the rest of the way, which isn't impossible but certainly seems unlikely given the obvious flaws with this roster. In two weeks, it will have to win at Georgia. On Oct. 17, it will have to deal with another team that can match up talent-wise in Texas A&M. Unless something drastically changes with this offense, the Crimson Tide are more likely to be reduced to a spoiler's role by the time Nov. 7 rolls around against LSU.
But even if all of that happens and Alabama somehow winds up in the SEC Championship again, it will be defying the odds. Alabama isn't supposed to be in the odds-defying business. It's indeed a different day in the SEC.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No two college football dynasties are exactly alike, but they all look the same at the end. At first, they are so mighty it almost takes something from the cosmos to strike them down. Maybe an amazing effort from an opponent, maybe a bolt of bad of luck. Then the veneer of invincibility gets stripped away and those moments tend to come more frequently and forcefully. Before you know it, the run of excellence goes from difficult to maintain to impossible.
...
For all of its No. 1-ranked recruiting classes, Alabama can no longer dictate the way games are played. For all of the defensive talent that rolls through and shuffles off to the NFL, the Crimson Tide can no longer shut down good teams down. For all the time they had to replace AJ McCarron, they are now in the midst of a second consecutive season without a reliable quarterback.
...
Alabama can talk all it wants about giving Ole Miss short fields by fumbling two kickoff returns — including the first play of the game — and being on the wrong end of a bizarre tipped touchdown early in the third quarter that never should have been thrown in the first place after a bad snap caromed off Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly's hands and high into the air.
"We fought hard, but we shot ourselves in the foot too many times," Alabama center Ryan Kelly said. "It's hard to win when you turn it over so many times. We gave them 31 points and it's hard, especially in this conference, to do that and come out with a victory."
That was the message from Alabama, repeated over and over Saturday. Gave Ole Miss 31 points? As though they weren't earned?
Look, the Rebels scored those points not just because of the turnovers but because they have two things Alabama lacks: A field goal kicker and a good quarterback.
Three years ago, Alabama could win without either one, against practically any opponent. They were so dominant up front, the recipe was simple: Run the ball, occasionally get it to one of their studs on the perimeter and play hellacious defense. It had a margin for error to account for missed field goals, unlucky plays or the occasional turnover.
These days, Alabama's best receiver is a graduate transfer from Oregon State (Richard Mullaney), its running game comes and goes, it plays a team almost every week with a more dangerous quarterback and its defense is frequently sub-par against spread offenses.
...
And now Alabama has to be perfect the rest of the way, which isn't impossible but certainly seems unlikely given the obvious flaws with this roster. In two weeks, it will have to win at Georgia. On Oct. 17, it will have to deal with another team that can match up talent-wise in Texas A&M. Unless something drastically changes with this offense, the Crimson Tide are more likely to be reduced to a spoiler's role by the time Nov. 7 rolls around against LSU.
But even if all of that happens and Alabama somehow winds up in the SEC Championship again, it will be defying the odds. Alabama isn't supposed to be in the odds-defying business. It's indeed a different day in the SEC.
That and the fact we spotted them 31 FUCKING POINTS!!!!!!!!!!!! 
