It’s jarring, the whole thing.
Despite having no chance at winning a conference championship, Alabama, ranked fifth in the latest College Football Playoff Top 25, still entertained hopes of securing one of the four semifinalist spots heading into Week 14 of the 2019 season. As the script went, Alabama would take care of business against Auburn and then rely on its impressive past pedigree to sneak in ahead of a one-loss Power Five conference champion.
The Finebaums of the college football world had it written, so they let it be said.
Instead, Auburn flipped the script.
In one of the wildest Iron Bowls ever, Auburn gut-punched and scrotum-kicked its hated in-state rivals in a 48-45 win at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Zach Barnett did a helluva job wrapping up the upset carnage, but the finer point needs to be stressed: There will be no Alabama in the playoffs.
The College Football Playoff first debuted in 2014. In each of the first five seasons, Alabama was in the field, as a No. 1 seed three times and No. 2 and No. 4 seeds the other two times. In two of those appearances, the Crimson Tide won the national championship.
For the first time since 2010, Alabama has lost at least two games in the regular season. For the first time ever, there will be no Alabama in the College Football Playoff.
The king is dead, long live the king!