There’s a reason DeBoer’s nine-win record in his no-win, post-GOAT debut is the best performance by a rookie Alabama coach since 1931.

The massive stakes for the national college football scene that we've come to expect with the Iron Bowl are mostly gone this year. After losing to Oklahoma last week, No. 13 Alabama (8-3, 4-3 SEC) will miss the College Football Playoff unless chaos unfolds around the sport this weekend.