The Alabama You Knew and Loved (or Hated) Will Never Be the Same

In the end, there was smoke. Lots and lots of smoke.

As Alabama capsized against a team it has rarely capsized against in recent memory, Tennessee fans found the cigars that have largely gone unlit over the past two decades, lifted them to their lips and grabbed the nearest lighter.

Just like that, Neyland Stadium disappeared in a glorious celebratory fog.

That was one side of the Vols' 24-17 win over the rival Crimson Tide on Saturday. Euphoria. It was an ugly game that was defined by turnovers and miscues, although Tennessee didn't much care how it got there.

Cigars were had, after all.

On the other sideline, there was also smoke. Although this smoke did not come from the thousands of cigars. It came in a more metaphorical sense.

Where there's smoke, there's fire.

For Alabama, this is the current state.

After a troubling 210-minute stretch of football, it's safe to conclude that the most dominant force college football has seen in the modern era is no longer the feared team it once was.

To understand how we arrived here, one must first go back to the moment Nick Saban announced his retirement. Given all that he meant for the program—winning six national titles during his tenure in Tuscaloosa—the shockwaves felt inside and outside the program were understandably enormous.

Kalen DeBoer, a head coach who has won everywhere he has ever coached, took on the dubious assignment of following the G.O.A.T. And although the signs and vibes were nothing but positive in the infancy of the season, highlighted by a thrilling win over Georgia in front of the home crowd, the signs of decay began to show.

In that game, Alabama allowed the Bulldogs to accumulate 439 yards of offense. DeBoer's team was also outscored 27-11 in the second half. The absurdity of the game and the joy of victory masked a reality yet to unfold.

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A week later, it unfolded. The No. 1 team in the nation lost to Vanderbilt—an unthinkable result. One game later, Alabama nearly lost to unranked South Carolina at home.

Now, in the afterglow of yet another loss, the magnificent feeling of invincibility that once blanketed this program is long gone. There were moments when DeBoer appeared capable of keeping things remarkably status quo, although that sentiment has fleeted.

Perhaps expecting that was unfair. Truly, this was never going to happen. The bar had been set to high, and there was always going to be a regression.

But to actually see this team regress in the way it has—to lose its superpowers over the course of one month—doesn't make this expected reality any easier to process.

Alabama is currently ranked outside the top 40 in scoring defense. It ranks No. 63 in rushing defense and No. 56 in passing defense. Once the trademark of this dynasty, this side of the ball has transformed most of all. No deterioration has been more glaring or daunting than this one.

Perhaps the most concerning elements of the current status are less defined by numbers. It's what we see.

The play isn't as clean. The offense, which was supposed to blossom under DeBoer, especially with the gifted Jalen Milroe under center, hasn't always looked quite right. In terms of the cliché "eye test," Alabama has never looked the part outside of its near-perfect first half against Georgia, which generated opposite emotions to the ones that have now taken root.

Losing to Tennessee on the road wouldn't be a doomsday sentence for most. But this isn't a "most" situation. Alabama, until further notice, is in its own category of expectations.

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It's a program that defined the blueprint for other teams, mainly Georgia, to follow. No matter the coach or the quarterback, this team will always carry a unique aura. Only that aura is fading, and the outcomes and general state of the program are evolving into something new.

Something less dominant. Something, dare we say, normal.

It would be reckless to assume that Alabama will quickly fade into a team not regularly competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff. There is still talent on the roster, the team will continue to recruit at an elite level, and the coach, as mentioned previously, has won big everywhere he went.

The sky hasn't completely fallen, even if it feels that way for most Alabama fans. These are emotions this group hasn't felt in a very long time.

Fans of hopeful, normal programs would kill to have these problems. The Crimson Tide are still in the College Football Playoff discussion, even with two losses. The room for error is all but gone, although that door is still open.

This is still a team capable of winning a major football game against a great opposition. For further proof of this, merely go back a month in time. All hope is not lost.

But things are different now.

The Alabama many knew and loved is no longer the Alabama of old. The Alabama many despised for its consistency and excellence is suddenly very much ripe for the taking, and this part isn't likely to change anytime soon.