Alabama Knocked Back to Reality, Where Do They Go from Here?

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) Call it an upset or call it a reality check, but whatever you call it, call it an Alabama loss.

It was only a question of time until Alabama lost, but few Alabama fans thought today would be the day.

The 35-21 final score begged to differ.

You can question the motivation of the players, the play-calling or any aspect of what happened in Columbia, South Carolina today, but for Alabama fans any answer for why the Tide lost today is not important, the real question is where do they go from here and how do they deal with the loss?

For Alabama there is much to still play for. A rematch with South Carolina is a real probability at this point if the Tide can rebound and finish the rest of the SEC schedule, but with Auburn having already beaten South Carolina, few Alabama fans can take that game for granted now.

In fact, can Alabama take any game from this point on for granted?

This could be a real reality check for Alabama as they now not only know they can lose, but they may expect to have to work harder than ever to restore their pride, their swagger, and their national ranking.

A lot of things have been lost for the Tide and for some of their players.

Greg McElroy will not join the undefeated college ranks.

The running back duo of Ingram and Richardson will not go down as an unstoppable force. They were effectively shut down today.

The young secondary finally bent and broke today.

The defense, which has been a hallmark at Alabama, was exposed today for what is: young, inexperienced and prone to mistakes.

Fundamentals on defense were also exposed, poor tackling cost Alabama many stops on key third downs.

The offense, which had been good in the red zone, left many points on the table.

So where do the Tide go from here?

To listen to Saban, there is still much to play for, including a national championship. But first things first.

The first thing Alabama must do is deal with this loss.

To ignore it would be a huge mistake, to learn from it is what they must do.

They must remember this loss for the rest of the season, remember the pain, remember the frustration and remember the ramifications from it.

With an SEC championship win, they still have an outside shot at getting into the national championship talk again, but now, it is not a given anymore.

There are still tough games to be played this season. LSU, Mississippi State, and Auburn could all stop any rebound from happening. It is up to Alabama now to chart their future and they may need help to do so.

So where they go from here is only dependent on the players themselves.

It has been said that the mark of a true champion is not that he was never knocked down, but how they reacted when it happened.

Can Alabama pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and become champion-like again?

Stay tuned and we'll all know.