Victory/Playoff Open Thread

Honestly, that went about as I expected. Kansas State coach took some chances as the underdog and made it a bit worse, but give him credit for playing to win. Nobody with eyeballs thought that Kansas State’s athletes could compete with Alabama’s all things being equal. The spread was merely a touchdown because nobody knew whether Alabama would play hungry and avoid the mistakes that they made too often this season.

To their credit, a Tide team that had to be disappointed to miss the playoff came out and made a statement. It wasn’t a physical bloodbath like the 2011 Capital One Bowl, but we know that this Alabama roster isn’t built to play that way. This game is what we expected to see all season: an explosive passing game built to outscore everyone on the schedule combined with a lighter defense with the stamina to hold up for more possessions, even if they could be run on by some teams. Bryce Young had one of his best games as a college passer.

That, folks, is what it was supposed to look like, and we are now left to wonder what might have been.

Alabama’s season is officially over, and the returning players did show some promise. There should be plenty of reason for optimism this offseason, particularly considering the 2023 class that will be mostly enrolled in January. For tonight, however, all we have left is to watch the playoffs. Michigan will steamroll TCU this afternoon, then Georgia will likely handle Ohio State in the evening. Both games will be on ESPN.

Roll Tide.