The Sooners did it again, and Alabama football fans are heartbroken after a stunning 23–21 upset loss to Oklahoma. It was their first home loss under coach Kalen DeBoer, and to make it worse, it came down to the final play. When you lose a game this huge, with the SEC championship and playoff hopes on the line, the finger-pointing starts fast. Year two HC with zero playoff appearances just indirectly pointed those fingers at the so-called Heisman front-runner.

On November 15th, right after the game, Kalen DeBoer spoke about the glaring mistakes and what went wrong. The answer was simple: too many turnovers. DeBoer subtly called out Ty Simpson for taking four unnecessary sacks, saying, “With the pressure that they brought, he’s got to get rid of it and be OK with throwing it away. You can only hold on so long and with a blitz ahead, you’re going to get overwhelmed and outnumbered.” Instead of throwing the ball away, Ty Simpson kept trying to create something out of nothing, and those decisions turned into four drive-killing sacks against the Sooners.

DeBoer’s disappointment was written all over his face. “Really disappointed… You know, turnover battle, obviously got killed there, and that was the game,” he said. And he’s not wrong. Alabama’s eight-game winning streak vanished. Their 17-game home win streak snapped. It was their first SEC home loss since 2019 and their first homecoming loss since 2001. Their playoff hopes are in a dreary place now with today’s loss

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What hurts Alabama fans the most is the self-destruction. Alabama beat Alabama. The defense played well enough to win, but the offense kept giving the game away. Oklahoma didn’t even need much production – they gained only 215 total yards because Alabama handed them three turnovers that turned into 17 points. The biggest backbreaker was Ty Simpson’s 87-yard pick-six by Eli Bowen in the first quarter. That single mistake flipped the entire script.

Even their special was of no help. Right before halftime, Alabama’s 36-yard field goal attempt was blocked, a kick that would have tied the game at 17. It was just the second missed kick inside 40 yards this season for sophomore kicker Conor Talty. The loss even dented one of Kalen DeBoer’s most talked-about superstitions: his black hoodie streak. Before Saturday, DeBoer held a perfect 16-0 record while wearing the black hoodie. After the Sooners’ upset, that streak now stands at 16-1. This defeat will complicate their post-season aspirations.

Is Alabama out of the playoffs and the SEC Championship game?

Alabama’s playoff hopes are still alive, but the chances are little to impossible. A 10–2 record would almost certainly lock the Crimson Tide into the 12-team playoff. But at 9–3, things get messy. Alabama do have a few solid wins on its résumé (their September- October stretch where they beat four ranked teams in a row), which could help, but losing to Oklahoma means the Tide no longer control their path. A slip-up in the Iron Bowl would leave their fate completely in the hands of the playoff committee.

Saturday’s loss also threw the entire SEC championship race into chaos. Four SEC teams sit with one conference loss, while Texas A&M remains the only undefeated team in league play. Because of that, Alabama must beat Auburn next weekend to stay in contention. A loss would almost certainly eliminate them from championship consideration and make their playoff chances hard.

The Tide can still reach the SEC Championship Game, but it depends on how the tiebreakers shake out. There are still scenarios where Alabama could miss the title game even if they take care of business, but they remain in a fierce position, as long as they defeat Auburn. The SEC also announced that no team can officially clinch a spot in the conference championship until the final weekend, adding even more drama to the closing stretch of the season.