Distress Index: Alabama snapped again to actuality with gorgeous residence loss to Oklahoma

The overarching query of Kalen DeBoer’s tenure is whether or not Alabama followers might be satisfied {that a} loss like the one he suffered Saturday isn’t simply acceptable however comparatively regular within the school soccer universe because it exists in 2025.

The sport itself? That wasn’t regular.

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Oklahoma went into Tuscaloosa and received 23-21 with simply 212 yards of offense. Solely three groups within the final 25 years have overwhelmed a top-five opponent whereas being much less productive with the ball. However whenever you add in three Alabama turnovers, an enormous mistake in punt protection and a blocked 36-yard subject objective, you get a wonky outcome that leaves the Crimson Tide at 8-2.

It’s honest sport for Alabama followers to be mad about that stuff, and goodness is aware of if Alabama followers have any cause to be mad about one thing, they are going to be.

However this wasn’t something just like the Tide’s cataclysmic loss to Oklahoma final yr when it actually felt like their season resulted in Norman. With Japanese Illinois and a street journey to Auburn closing out the schedule, Alabama needs to be securely within the School Soccer Playoff at 10-2 and will find yourself taking part in for an SEC title relying on how tiebreakers shake out. On this bizarre yr of parity, you’d nonetheless give Alabama an honest shot on a impartial subject towards anybody apart from Ohio State.

Is that adequate?

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Bear in mind, it doesn’t matter whether or not it needs to be. What issues is how folks in a state spoiled by historic success beneath Nick Saban course of a really totally different form of Alabama program the place you may lose a sport like this and throw in one other stinker (because the Tide did in Week 1 towards Florida State) and nonetheless have a terrific season.

Nationwide championship nice? Time will inform. However on this period, each coach is considering one factor: Simply get within the event.

Perhaps that’s not thrilling sufficient for some Alabama followers who view the game by means of a 2015 lens. Perhaps it’s not adequate for Paul Finebaum and different tv loudmouths who know that fanning the flames of Alabama fan insecurities will drive viewership and social media engagement.

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However it form of must be adequate. The way in which this sport is ready up now, there’s actually nothing else to do — particularly within the SEC — however recruit as proficient a workforce as doable and hope to win a bunch of shut video games whereas limiting the injury on inevitable dangerous days.

By 10 video games, Alabama has achieved that. However the one folks comfortable about it are in all probability Auburn followers. That’s why the Crimson Tide reign as America’s most depressing fan base in Week 12.

Convention Champions of Distress

ACC: Opposite to widespread perception, not all wins are good wins. Typically as a fan, your workforce can win the sport and but deep down you already know it’s time to panic. That’s the place loads of Georgia Tech followers needs to be after a 36-34 escape at 1-10 Boston School. It’s just about the place coach Brent Key appeared to be throughout a curt postgame interview the place the ESPN sideline reporter needed to remind him that it was OK to smile after a win. However Key, who labored beneath Nick Saban for 3 years at Alabama, is aware of that wasn’t adequate towards a program that hadn’t led a ranked workforce within the fourth quarter for eight years. Giving up 537 yards to BC and needing a 68-yard drive on the finish to kick a game-winning subject objective isn’t the form of stuff playoff groups do. And if Georgia Tech limps to the end line, it’ll be a blown alternative to win a down ACC after beginning 8-0. Now, Tech must beat Pittsburgh subsequent Saturday at residence, and the Jackets will must be quite a bit higher to get that achieved.

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Massive Ten: Iowa has misplaced 13 consecutive video games to ranked opponents, together with 4 this yr by a mixed 15 factors. That’s fairly irritating, particularly when Iowa has kinda sorta fastened the offensive catastrophe left behind by Brian Ferentz’s reign of error. No, the Hawkeyes aren’t precisely 2019 LSU on offense, however they had been adequate to go all the best way out to Los Angeles and put up 320 yards on Southern Cal — and it nonetheless wasn’t adequate in a 26-21 loss. That’s the story of Iowa’s season, which now sits at 6-4 and is barely a pair snaps away from being playoff-worthy. Including insult to damage was the best way this sport concluded. With USC needing a primary all the way down to run out the clock, the Trojans had been seeking to convert a third-and-5 or else they’d give the ball again to Iowa with a few minute on the clock. As an alternative, an assistant coach was flagged for stepping out of the teaching space — a name you actually by no means see — which successfully ended the sport.

Massive 12: It’s actually stunning that amongst all of the packages shifting from the American to an influence convention, UCF has carried out the worst by far. Bear in mind, the complete time UCF was within the Group of 5, the argument for shifting up was that its location in Orlando — surrounded by all that I-4 hall expertise — would make the transition comparatively straightforward. As an alternative, since shifting to the Massive 12, UCF is 6-19 within the convention whereas Houston is 10-15, Cincinnati is 9-16 and SMU is 13-1 within the ACC. It’s extra than simply the file. UCF’s 48-9 loss to Texas Tech was fully uncompetitive, which has been a recurring theme this yr in Scott Frost’s homecoming as head coach.

Group of 5: In case you have an Oregon State fan in your life, we suggest doing one thing good for them at this time. Perhaps that’s only a cellphone name or a textual content message, however a bottle of high-priced bourbon would in all probability be extra acceptable. Due to all of the hopeless packages in school soccer proper now, Oregon State’s issues are essentially the most existential and maybe unfixable. Earlier than the Pac-12 blew up, this program was 25-14 over three seasons and one of many sport’s feel-good tales beneath Jonathan Smith. However with Smith now at Michigan State (and struggling) and the Beavers ready for the Pac-12 to start out again up as a lesser model of itself, purgatory isn’t any enjoyable. Oregon State has dropped consecutive video games to Sam Houston State and Tulsa beneath interim coach Robb Akey, and the varsity goes to want to nail its upcoming rent after firing Trent Bray 19 video games into his tenure. Even in Gary Anderson’s 1-11 season in 2017, it didn’t really feel this bleak in Corvallis.

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Headset Distress

Steve Sarkisian: There is no such thing as a house for hire within the Texas coach’s head as a result of Kirby Sensible owns all of it. Does Sark have a Georgia drawback? You wager he does. Since becoming a member of the SEC final yr, Texas is now 0-3 towards the Bulldogs whereas scoring a complete of 44 factors. For somebody of Sarkisian’s status as a playcaller (and the quantity of expertise at his disposal), that’s a outstanding failure. At a sure level within the fourth quarter of Georgia’s 35-10 victory, Sensible was simply toying with Texas, organising back-to-back touchdowns with an onside kick in between them. Now 7-3, Texas’ CFP destiny would be the topic of serious hypothesis. May the Longhorns be the primary three-loss workforce to make it in? It’s solely a dialog in the event that they beat Texas A&M in two weeks, however even when they get in, they higher hope to keep away from Georgia.

Shane Beamer: Throughout his first-half sideline interview towards Texas A&M, the South Carolina coach wished to make it very clear the Gamecocks weren’t stunned to be main the Aggies as a result of “we beat this workforce by 24 final yr.” And whereas skipping into the locker room in School Station with a 30-3 lead, Beamer flapped his arms and fist-pumped a number of occasions into the air, scary the Texas A&M crowd. He additionally might need invited some dangerous karma as a result of South Carolina didn’t rating one other level and Texas A&M pulled off the biggest comeback in school history for a 31-30 win. There’s a cause why nice coaches don’t take something with no consideration.

Pat Narduzzi: As a coach, it’s best to by no means converse a loss into existence. However Pittsburgh was cooked towards Notre Dame as quickly as Narduzzi opened his mouth at Monday’s press convention when he declared that this week was “completely not” a must-win sport. “It’s not an ACC sport,” he mentioned. “I might gladly get beat 103 or 110-10. They will put 100 on us so long as we win the following two after that.” At that time, “School GameDay” ought to have recognized it made an enormous mistake selecting Pittsburgh for its pregame present this week as a result of if the coach isn’t locked in on the duty at hand, how will you count on the workforce to be? Positive, Pitt remains to be alive for the convention title, however doesn’t delight depend for one thing? It’ll be arduous to erase that stench after a 37-15 beatdown by the Irish.

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Mike Locksley: When the athletic director who didn’t rent you tells a media outlet it will “be foolish” to decide on the Maryland head coach earlier than the tip of the common season, that ought to set off alarm bells. However that’s precisely the place we’re after Jim Smith informed the Baltimore Solar this week the varsity would “decide on the finish of the yr” the place his coach stands.  Locksley has been at Maryland for seven seasons, and each Terps fan is aware of the way it goes by now. Win some straightforward nonconference video games in September, construct slightly pleasure, then faceplant within the Massive Ten even towards the non-elites. After Maryland’s 24-6 loss to Illinois, the 4-6 Terps will probably be hard-pressed to keep away from Locksley’s fourth shedding season in School Park. Regardless of his deep recruiting connections within the DMV, it’s in all probability time for another person to present it a strive.

Ryan Silverfield: Are you a candidate for different jobs or are you on the new seat? It’s getting more durable and more durable to inform. A month in the past, Silverfield coached a 6-0 workforce that regarded prefer it was extraordinarily well-positioned to win the American Convention and make the CFP because the Group of 5 consultant. Due to that begin, numerous energy convention packages began to indicate curiosity in Silverfield, who’s in Yr 6 at Memphis. However after a dispiriting 31-27 loss at ECU, the Tigers have dropped three of their final 5 and are eradicated from just about each main preseason objective. The Memphis fan base will probably be rightly up in arms as a result of they’ve invested quite a bit of their roster and amenities during the last a number of years, and whereas Silverfield is 29-8 during the last three seasons, there’s no {hardware} to indicate for it.

Moments of Distress

A Texas state trooper misplaced his thoughts: Unacceptable is the one phrase for what occurred late within the first half after South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor scored on an 80-yard landing reception to take a 27-3 lead on Texas A&M. Harbor appeared to have some form of damage and went by means of the tip zone into the tunnel, the place a pair teammates adopted him. As they got here again towards the sector, the officer coming from the field clearly bumps Harbor and sticks out his left elbow into running back Oscar Adaway. Then, he had the audacity to show round and level at Harbor as if it wasn’t totally the officer’s fault. The Texas Division of Public Security launched a press release saying the trooper was relieved of his duties, however there needs to be extreme penalties for approaching a participant in that method.

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Theo Von turned the brand new Kenny Chesney: Right here on the Distress Index, we’d battle to let you know why Von is such an enormous deal, apart from we all know he has a podcast and is meant to be a stand-up comedian. However in the event you grant that he’s well-known in the best way sure individuals are well-known in 2025, associating with school soccer is nice for his model. After shifting to Nashville 5 years in the past and shifting into former Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason’s outdated home, he adopted the Commodores and have become an everyday at their practices and video games. However when you begin attempting to rep the complete SEC, you progress into Chesney territory. The nation music star is a Tennessee fan however turned infamous for sharing allegiances with any SEC program whose coach fluffed his ego. Von has crossed that threshold after accompanying Lane Kiffin through the Grove at Ole Miss and firing up the gang whereas sporting a Rebels baseball jersey. Sorry Theo, however if you wish to stay a decent SEC fan, it’s good to choose one workforce.

Louisville’s kicker had a tough weekend: Cooper Ranvier is superb at his job, particularly from lengthy distance the place he’s made a pair subject targets from 50-plus this yr. However with 1:33 left towards Clemson, down 20-19, coach Jeff Brohm despatched Nick Keller out for a go-ahead subject objective from 46. He didn’t come shut. Why was Keller in that place? As a result of after a shanked additional level early within the sport and a miss from 50 with slightly greater than 4 minutes left, Brohm decided Ranvier had misplaced his confidence. To make sure, Louisville’s loss was a workforce effort with 10 penalties, 2-for-11 on third down and all method of errors. However these missed kicks, and the insecurity Brohm confirmed in his foremost kicker, finally doomed Louisville to a spoiler position because the ACC race winds down.