It hasn’t been a good stretch for the Seminoles. The 31-17 loss to unranked Florida State sent them tumbling 13 spots to No. 21, their lowest Associated Press poll ranking in 17 years. The defeat was a tough blow for second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer, whose team managed just 87 rushing yards and committed eight penalties. The setback not only extended Alabama's College Football Playoff drought but also put DeBoer squarely under pressure, as the SEC gauntlet still looms.
The Alabama Crimson Tide's influential booster and power brokers are already growing restless after the loss, according to a report from On3 by Chris Low and Andy Staples.
”There’s genuine concern, not the embellished type, among Alabama power brokers and boosters about what they’ve seen, or more accurately, what they haven’t seen, from the Crimson Tide under DeBoer,” the report read.
One longtime donor even admitted, ”We’re spoiled… but when we put a team out there that looks uninspired like we have far too many times these past two years and lose to teams that we’re clearly more talented than, that’s when it becomes a problem.”
DeBoer responded to the unrest during comments shared by Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports.
”My message is that our team is we’ve got a good football team that can do some big things still this year. We’ve got to prove it… To this point, it’s just been me being able to focus on football. I appreciate that.”
The criticism comes amid chatter about Kalen DeBoer's massive $63 million buyout (which drops slightly to $60 million in December), making any quick move costly for Alabama's administration. Analysts like Paul Finebaum have already warned that local voices will start calling for DeBoer's job if results don't change quickly.
The Week 2 SEC Football Power Rankings also reflected just how damaging the Florida State loss was. The Alabama football team fell six spots to No. 9 after surrendering 230 rushing yards and struggling to score after its opening drive. For a team expected to contend immediately in DeBoer's second year, the performance was a red flag.
There is time to turn the season around, but with Tennessee, LSU, Oklahoma, and Georgia still ahead, Alabama fans and boosters will need more than promises; they'll need results, and quickly.
