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Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer got honest on the possibility of players opting out of the Crimson Tide's bowl game against Michigan. The team is dealing with its disappointing exclusion from the College Football Playoff in favor of No. 10 SMU.
Now in line to play the ReliaQuest Bowl in what might be star quarterback Jalen Milroe's last game, DeBoer's team must remain focused if it wants to avoid being the first Crimson Tide squad to not win at least 10 games since 2007.
In an interview with Senior Team Writer Charlie Potter for BamaOnLine, the first-year head coach in Tuscaloosa did not sound too worried about players skipping the game.
“I feel like right now we're in a place where most of those guys are planning on playing; I don't care what round they're planning on going in (the NFL draft).”
Alabama football's current disappointment cannot cloud its bright future
Not making the 12-team playoff will always be disappointing for a program of the Crimson Tide's status. However, there is still a lot to play for on December 31st. Kalen DeBoer is in the process of building his own culture in Tuscaloosa.
Ending this season on a high note for the seniors and for potential recruits to see signifies a strong foundation. Alabama football has the No. 2 recruiting class in the country for 2025. Losing any of those commitments due to a lackluster performance against Michigan would be a bad look.
The team's frustration right now, however, is reasonable. The Crimson Tide had a better resume on paper than the SMU Mustangs. At the same time, the playoff committee's decision would have been polarizing no matter what.
Still, this body clearly prioritized conference championships and records over strength of schedule. This fact is making Alabama AD Greg Byrne reconsider his program's future nonconference schedules.
Kalen DeBoer's team ultimately held three top-25 wins, including a signature victory over No. 2 Georgia. The Mustangs lost their only two games to teams currently in the rankings. In addition, the Crimson Tide would be the favorite if the two programs were to play.
Still, SMU got that last at-large bid. At the same time, No. 12 Arizona State and No. 16 Clemson were bid steelers at Alabama's expense because those two programs were conference champions. The Crimson Tide did not get in despite being ranked in the top 12.
Alabama football, however, can predominantly blame themselves for this predicament. The shocking losses to Vanderbilt and then the 21-point defeat to Oklahoma in November are what did in Kalen DeBoer's program.
The more teams that are included in the playoff, the less bad one can feel for those excluded. That is the case with the 2024 Alabama Crimson Tide. However, there's still one more game left to play this season, and after that, Kalen DeBoer's program can focus on returning to where it belongs in college football.
