The calm after the storm...

Well, it's official.  I take Alabama football far too seriously.  As the SEC Championship game waned and the clock diminished, I was more disappointed than after Alabama's loss to ULM last season.  It seemed for me that the more success Alabama had, the worse the disappointment when they lost.  Instead of being happy for a 12-1 season, congratulating Florida and their fans, and being satisfied for losing only to the eventual national champion and the previous Heisman trophy winner, I felt hatred, frustration, and envy.  I was not, and am not, happy with 12-1...at least, not 12-1 with that kind of loss to the same Florida media superheros that have been winning everything for 3 years.

Maybe I wanted it for the Seniors. Maybe I wanted it for myself. Maybe I was caught up in the Alabama hysteria.  Whatever it was, losing to Florida in that fashion, to those players and that coach, was the worst possible ending to this season.  The media knew Alabama was going to lose.  The prognosticators and sports radio personalities knew Alabama was going to lose.  The general public, to a lesser extent, knew Alabama was going to lose. And they were all right.  

The loss to Florida negated all other Alabama accomplishments this season - dominating Clemson, the "blackout", ending all the streaks, etc.  It tarnished a special season to the point of rendering it unremarkable.  For those that argue it helps recruiting, Saban doesn't need any help - he can secure the #1 class after going 7-6.  For those that argue that it put Alabama into the BCS, that is a paper tiger.  The Sugar Bowl against Utah is one of the most boring match-ups this year - Alabama can't pass the ball and Utah people won't travel or party in the Quarter.  For those that argue that this is a positive step in the "process," I submit that Alabama losing to the league's elite is just more of the same.  Lastly, for those that think that Alabama is back to beating everyone they are "supposed to beat," the SEC had one of it's worst years in recent history.  For me, beating traditional rivals, especially a game to LSU that they could have won with a better quarterback, is not enough.    

I am satisfied that Saban has the program moving in the right direction, and readily admit that Alabama will soon be back to being the team to beat in the West, if not the conference.  As Kirk Herbstreit accurately concluded, "This is the least talented team Nick Saban will have at Alabama."  Unfortunately, that truth does not console my disappointment at how this season ended.  And now it's on to an ignominious Sugar Bowl against an opponent that no one outside of Utah, maybe even some in Utah, follows or cares about.  If Alabama loses, it's another billboard loss to a giant killer.  If they win, it's a ho-hum victory against a team they are supposed to beat, and more disappointment.  I guess I can forget what could have been this year and move on to recruiting, Spring practice, and next season.