Kalen DeBoer

Weekend college football was good for Georgia and bad for Alabama in the AP Top 25. The Bulldogs are now in the top four. The Crimson Tide’s first homecoming loss since 2001 dropped Alabama to number ten. Oklahoma outlasted the Tide and that pushed the Sooners to number eight

The Crimson Tide’s path to the College Football playoffs just got a little more complicated. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer suffered his first hometown loss, and the Tide lost its first homecoming game since 2001. That was against LSU. Since then, Alabama has won twenty one homecoming games.

Revenge? Dirty tricks? Ty Simpson’s Heisman hopes? All of these issues have come up ahead of Alabama’s game against Oklahoma. Homecoming games are often depicted as a chance for students and alumni to gather and watch an easy win. The Crimson Tide may have to deal with allegations in the press from Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.

It was well into the second quarter before Alabama scored its first touchdown against LSU. But, the Tide widened the gap during the remainder of the game as the team delivered its best defensive effort in Southeastern Conference play this season and beat LSU 20-9 on Saturday night, keeping the Tigers out of the end zone for the first time since the 2012 national championship game.

Number four ranked Alabama stumbled last November with a College Football Playoff spot within reach. The Crimson Tide lost at unranked Oklahoma and got left out of the postseason bracket. The setback still resonates with this year's team heading into Saturday's home game against regrouping LSU.

The Louisiana State University Tigers fired coach Brian Kelly following a blow-out loss to Texas A & M. That 49-25 walloping on Saturday dropped the Tigers out of the AP rankings. LSU’s second quarter lead was short-lived, as Texas A&M went on to outscore them 35-7 in the second half. That means the Crimson Tide may spend this weekend off wondering which LSU it will face when Alabama resumes play on November 8th. The Tigers’ running backs coach Frank Wilson will step in for Kelly.

Student fans of the South Carolina Gamecocks thought they were within seconds an upset over Alabama. They almost were. South Carolina held the Tide to one offensive touchdown until just over two minutes before the end of the game

Saturday’s game between Alabama and Tennessee may be symbolized by one catch. Defensive cornerback Zabien Brown intercepted a pass at the Alabama endzone and then ran ninety six yards for a Tide touchdown. That was just part of the Tuscaloosa defense holding the league leading Vols to just four hundred and ten yards. Voters with the AP Top 25 apparently were watching.

Bama’s Zabien Brown returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown as time expired in the first half during the Tennessee game, in the rivalry known as the “Third Saturday in October.” Brown's pick gave the Tide a 23-7 lead and was all Alabama's defense needed while turning in its best performance of the season.

Alabama moved up two spots to number six in the AP Top 25 poll. Missouri, which started 5-0, fell two spots to Number 16 after its three-point home loss to the Tide. Alabama was followed by Texas Tech, Oregon, Georgia and LSU.