As soon as the clock hit zero Saturday in Tuscaloosa (or let’s be honest, as soon as Brady Cook headed to the locker room in the second quarter,) it was clear that the clock on Tigers’ chances to earn a birth in the inaugural 12-team playoff struck midnight. Not since 2008 had a Tiger football season began with so much hope for national championship relevance. Eight games in to the season, that team and this one are mirroring each other closely... and not in a good way.
Both teams finished their eighth game with a record of 6-2.