Alabama left Baton Rouge with a 31-13 win over LSU, and the bigger picture around the Crimson Tide is starting to sharpen fast. The victory gives Alabama another high-end result for its playoff resume, but it also came with a painful blow on the football side: Josh Ford is done for the season with a knee injury.
Ford’s exit is a real loss for Alabama’s run game. He had been a major piece there, and his edge and attitude will be missed.
There was some hope the injury might not be severe after he was able to walk off the field, but that hope is gone. Jay Lindsey and Danny Lewis are now in line for more work, which is at least manageable because that position is the deepest one on the roster.
Ford, though, won’t disappear from the team picture; he’ll be on the sideline pushing his teammates.
The Crimson Tide’s path to the College Football Playoff is strong, but it is not sealed. Alabama entered the LSU game ranked No. 5 in the CFP rankings, and the win could bump them up this week.
Still, nothing is locked in. A 9-3 Alabama team with a loss to LSU could still have made the field, but if the Tide were to finish 9-3 with a loss to Vanderbilt or Auburn, they could easily be left out.
That makes the final stretch matter a whole lot. Alabama already has signature wins over ranked Kentucky and South Carolina, but it cannot afford to get casual now.
Vanderbilt is what it is, and Auburn has been getting beaten badly by LSU and Ole Miss recently. Kalen DeBoer’s teams have shown a little history of playing down to opponents, and Alabama cannot let that happen here.
The SEC Championship Game picture is even messier, and Alabama’s hopes depend on LSU. The Tigers have Texas this week and Tennessee next week, and Alabama does not hold the tiebreaker over either of those teams, whether it’s a two-team or multi-team scenario.
In a four-way tie among the current two-loss teams, or a three-way tie involving Texas, Kentucky, and Alabama, Texas would advance because Tennessee would be the best conference win in the group. Texas would also beat Alabama in a straight two-team tiebreaker.
If the tie is Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama, the Vols go because they are 2-0 in the round robin.
So the formula is simple, even if it’s not very realistic: Alabama has to win out and LSU has to beat both Texas and Tennessee.
The LSU fallout has not been subtle. Lane Kiffin’s arrival in Baton Rouge came with big expectations, but the early returns have been rough, and the 31-13 loss to Alabama only turned up the heat.
ESPN analyst Scott Van Pelt took aim at the hype around Kiffin during an appearance on ‘SVPod,’ saying, “You guys were chasing him like he was Nick Saban. They’ve already got three losses, man,”
Brandon Marcello also piled on, pointing to the size of Kiffin’s deal and the optics around the whole thing. USC’s Lincoln Riley was mentioned as the only coach whose results and salary picture look similarly underwhelming, while Texas A&M’s Mike Elko was also brought into the conversation. Kiffin’s career has been built on flash, and the criticism here is that the payoff still hasn’t matched the theater.
Even LSU’s own players didn’t exactly sound thrilled with how things unfolded. Safety Ty Benefield was blunt when asked about the second half, saying, “Keep it so real, that’s on us,” Benefield said.
“They didn’t do anything. That was on us.
That’s our errors. If you watch football and you know football, you’ll see that.
But if you don’t, I don’t know what to tell you.”
And in the middle of all that, Alabama had its own little scene in the stands. One Crimson Tide fan became a viral favorite in Baton Rouge after being spotted celebrating just a few feet away from Ryan Coleman-Williams following Alabama’s first touchdown. The fan, identified as Morgan, was dressed in a white hat, crimson polo with the script A, black shorts and sunglasses, and he was double-fisting two beers while celebrating in a sea of LSU fans.
“I love it,” Morgan said. “But that’s kind of been the story of my life. It’s a ‘me-against-the-world’ kind of mentality.”
Elsewhere around the program, Alabama’s women’s basketball team had a tougher-than-expected day against Tulane but still escaped with a 68-63 win, while the men are set to face Oakland tonight at 6:30 CT on SEC Network+. The Golden Grizzlies are 0-3 and coming off a 23-point loss to UC Santa Barbara, so this is the kind of game Alabama is expected to handle. The Tide also picked up a commitment over the weekend from four-star 2027 big Yohane Kobongo.
In Other News...
Greg McElroy Just Gave Alabama Fans Fresh Playoff Ammo
Greg McElroys latest take has given Alabama fans plenty to latch onto as the College Football Playoff rankings approach, with the former Crimson Tide quarterback arguing the Tide should land at No. 3 and Tennessee at No. 8. His case leaned on Alabamas quality wins and the injury issues the program has had to navigate, a familiar kind of rsum debate this time of year when every detail gets magnified and every slot in the bracket feels up for argument.
For Alabama supporters, McElroys view is more than just a talking point from a former player with deep ties to the program. It adds another layer to the playoff conversation, especially with Tennessee still facing games that could reshape its own path. The reaction to McElroys comments has already sparked plenty of debate, and the next rankings will show whether his perspective matches the committees thinking or just fuels the argument a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces New QB Concern Heading Into Vanderbilt
Keelon Russells ankle became one more thing for Alabama to monitor coming out of the LSU game, even if the freshman quarterback finished the night and kept the offense moving. Kalen DeBoer said Russell is day-to-day after sustaining the injury, a status that keeps the Crimson Tides quarterback picture a little unsettled as Vanderbilt comes into view.
Russells return against LSU mattered because he did not just limp through the finish, he helped deliver a productive performance with three touchdown passes and 206 yards. Still, with the next game looming and no firm timeline beyond day-to-day, Alabama has a small but real concern to sort through as it prepares for the Commodores. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Still Waiting On Two Young Backs At Crucial Time
Late in the season, Alabama is still trying to get a full look at two young backs who have been on the fringe because of health issues. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said AK Dear and EJ Crowell are both working to recover and are not dealing with season-ending injuries, which at least keeps the door open as the Tide push through the final stretch. Neither player took part in the recent game against LSU, leaving the backfield picture a little thinner than Alabama would prefer at this point.
For a team trying to sort out depth and roles down the stretch, the timing matters as much as the injuries themselves. Alabama has been forced to keep waiting on two players who were expected to be part of the conversation, and the uncertainty around their availability lingers even as the season moves on. The encouraging part is that both backs are still in the mix, but the next step depends on how quickly they can get back to full strength. [Read more 🡒]