For much of the 2023 season, Alabama hasn’t looked much like Nick Saban’s Alabama teams of the past. The Crimson Tide briefly benched QB Jalen Milroe in September and experienced prolonged offensive struggles before a breakthrough late in the year.
Alabama finished the regular season with only three wins by 15 or more points. While a win is a win, even a Tide team that missed the College Football Playoff in 2022 won seven games by margins of at least 15 points. Alabama has grown accustomed to carving up SEC opponents, but the playing field seemed a bit more level this season.
Yet, entering the SEC championship, Alabama is still sitting on only one loss. Saban’s group has won 10 consecutive games, and the Tide’s playoff hopes are very much alive. Alabama’s only loss, however, could be a bigger obstacle than one would expect.
MORE: Detailing Texas’ path to the College Football Playoff
Here’s a look back at Alabama’s Week 2 loss and why it could be so meaningful leading up to the College Football Playoff selection show.
Who did Alabama lose to in 2023?
Alabama’s only loss this season came Sept. 9 at home against Texas.
The Tide narrowly survived a scare from the Longhorns on the road early last season, though they wound up missing the playoff regardless after losses to Tennessee and LSU. Texas came looking for revenge this year, but winning in Tuscaloosa is a nearly impossible task. Steve Sarkisian’s team went into Bryant-Denny Stadium and got it done.
Texas jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the second quarter, only for Alabama to start dialing up some big plays in the second half. A 49-yard touchdown to Jermaine Burton gave the Tide the lead in the final minute of the third quarter.
The Longhorns’ response was rapid. A four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive quickly put Texas back in front, and the offense went right back to work within seconds as Milroe was intercepted to start Alabama’s ensuing drive. The Longhorns scored two touchdowns 16 seconds apart to take a two-possession lead.
Milroe Intercepted!!!
Texas takes over inside the 5 yd line
BAMA 16 TEXAS 20 pic.twitter.com/VU4ugUziXj
— Sweet Xyience (@SweetXyience) September 10, 2023
While the Tide were able to make it a one-score game again, Quinn Ewers silenced the crowd with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell on Texas’ next drive. Those were the final points of the game.
DeCOURCY: Where Georgia’s remarkable win streak stands in history
Saban didn’t lose to a former assistant until 2021, when Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M managed an upset of Alabama. Kirby Smart became the second former assistant to beat the legendary coach in the College Football Playoff championship game the same season, and Sarkisian made it three with the road win in September.
Despite Alabama’s looking vulnerable against a few opponents, including Texas A&M, Arkansas, Auburn and even USF, the Tide haven’t lost since. It still might not be enough to secure a playoff berth.
How loss to Texas hurts Alabama’s playoff chances
Conventional wisdom says Alabama should earn a playoff berth with a win over Georgia in the SEC championship. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 by the committee, so a win on Saturday would give the Tide arguably the most impressive victory by any team this season. The SEC has also never been shut out of the playoff.
However, the loss to Texas could wind up being especially consequential. If Alabama and Texas are both 12-1 conference champions, could there be a scenario in which only one of those teams earns a bid? If so, the committee might have a tough time justifying choosing Alabama over Texas considering Texas defeated Alabama on the Tide’s home field.
Texas’ one loss also wasn’t a particularly damaging one, as Oklahoma went 10-2 and is ranked No. 12 by the committee.
Outside of the Longhorns’ win at Alabama, however, finding genuinely impressive victories is difficult. Texas has two other ranked wins, but both came against teams ranked outside the top 20 at the time. Only one — Kansas State — is currently ranked by the selection committee.
The Longhorns would pick up another ranked win by defeating Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship, but beating the Cowboys doesn’t carry the same weight as beating Georgia. That raises the question of whether wins by both Alabama and Texas this weekend would be enough to shuffle the rankings and move the Tide ahead of the Longhorns.
MORE: How the SEC could miss the College Football Playoff
The wild card in the race is Oregon, which could also be a 12-1 conference champion and entered the week ranked ahead of both Texas and Alabama.
As the nation waits to find out what the committee prioritizes when filling out the final four-team College Football Playoff field, Texas is certainly hoping a head-to-head win carries the most weight if it comes down to the two teams that battled it out in September.