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Is #9 the highest ever for a 4 loss team?

I don't even know where to look that up.  

I don't even know where to look that up.  

As far as I can tell yes, beating #10 Auburn from last year.  I will say, both teams played 14 games, so they were also 10 game winners.  Prior to that, to find a 10-4 team, it's 2011 Georgia, who was ranked #19.

This is why and how Alabama lost:

1) They have had a suspect defense all season long, and Clemson took full advantage.  In the grand scheme of things, Alabama still has a good defense, but it was nowhere near the rock it has been in seasons past. Clemson had an uncanny ability to convert 3rd and long, and torched the secondary all night long.  Alabama was extremely lucky Clemson did not put 50 on them as they easily could have done so.

2) Alabama's offense sputtered waaay too much, especially in the red zone.  They were able to move the ball fairly well between the 20s, and Clemson actually gave up plenty of 5-7 yard chunks on the ground.  The Tide controlled the clock for most of the game, and should have stuck with the run.  Tua was not used to seeing a defense as aggressive as Clemson's and they made him look like well, a sophomore at times. They got too fancy, and as a result, found themselves unable to finish drives.  They left quite a few points (probably 17ish) on the field.

3) Clemson simply wanted it more.  They have been savoring this opportunity for a full year, and executed an incredibly masterful plan.  They weren't necessarily flawless, but Clemson is the only team that doesn't have to be perfect to beat Alabama.  They landed haymaker after haymaker, and left Alabama absolutely shellshocked.  This is a team that is used to dishing out punishment, not receiving it.

This is clearly not the way Alabama's seniors wanted to go out, but for Saban, The Process continues.  This will be a learning experience for the underclassmen and Saban will most definitely use this game as fuel for next season.  I have little reason to doubt they'll be deep in the playoff hunt again in '19.

Don't blame injuries. Other teams have them too, and Bama has a strong enough roster that there should be a pair and a spare ready to go at every position. 

Why is LSU ahead of Florida?  I’m not going to refer to h2h, but pre-bowl and post-bowl rankings.  The brilliant voters rewarded LSU’s one-score win over UCF over Florida blowing out UM.  That’s sort of nuts, IMO.

Fezz, your #3 is utter nonsense.  No one “wants it more” in the NCG.  Absurd.

But I have to credit you with making me realize that Bama fell victim to the Peyton Manning syndrome.

Back in the mid-90s, Tennessee could our-physical teams and had a great run game.  But the Peyton was under center and they abandoned that, despite the rest of the roster being built to win that way.  So for 2.5 years, the Vols toss the ball all over the place and win a lot...except against big-boy teams (Florida, Nebraska). 

Then Peyton leaves, they go back to running the ball like their roster was made for, and they win the NC.

The point is, just because Tua allowed them to toss the ball all over the place, it doesn’t mean they should have.  And that misalignment of roster and play-calling bit them in the ass against a team with similar talent.  

Actually, to your point elsewhere, during practice and prep, it's easy to believe that Clemson's players were more intent on making sure they were ready to slay the dragon that is Alabama, and that Alabama's players believed their hype and allowed that to distract them a little more. It's the same as the let-down theory: players react to their emotions. It's not hard to believe that Alabama's players were more complacent about preparation for this game than Clemson's. And that complacency can lead to a busted coverage, or a missed assignment at a critical moment, then the ball starts rolling--especially if those missed assignments pile up.

You realize who their coach is, right?  And I'm not talking about King Saban and all his rings, I'm talking about a coach that will push you and push you and if you still can't/don't perform, that backup 5* is planting your ass on the bench.  
Tell one of Bama's players Clemson "wanted it more" and see if you don't need medical attention afterwards.  This is the game where the players play the way Badge thinks they play every game.




Clemson executed better.  They played better.  Their difficult or rare play outcomes happened more frequently (one-handed catches, coverage risks, etc).  No one wanted it more.