“I’m not as concerned as some of the callers, I’m sure, will be,” Finebaum said. “I think you hit the reset button. You get a great opportunity.”
That opportunity comes in the form of a playoff opener on the road in Norman, a place where Alabama still hasn’t found a win since Oklahoma entered the SEC. The Sooners beat Alabama in Norman last season, and the beat the Tide in Tuscaloosa this season, and the Tide haven’t shaken that off yet. Now, with everything on the line, they’ll have to.
If Alabama can survive the trip to Norman, they’ll advance to face top-seeded Indiana in a game that also doubles as this year’s Rose Bowl.
Finebaum made it clear the Crimson Tide could’ve landed in a much rougher spot.
“The pairings could have been a lot worse. I, frankly, think if Alabama can get past Oklahoma, at least on paper, they have a path. It may not be that great for anybody who watched Indiana play on Saturday night,” Finebaum said. “But I think a lot of Alabama people would feel pretty good about it.”
But he didn’t avoid the biggest concern hovering over this team: Ty Simpson.
“Anything I say about Ty Simpson, it will be articulated 1000 times more,” Finebaum said. “But something is wrong. Is it the lack of running game? Is it problems up front? But he just doesn’t seem to be the same quarterback he was eight weeks ago. I think that has to be a major concern going into Norman.”
