Isaiah Crowell, 5-Star College Football Recruit: Does Alabama Lead Over Georgia?

Before Alabama's trip to South Carolina on Saturday, the Crimson Tide didn't just look like a team steam rolling through the season, but also a program positioning itself to nab every top recruit still on its list. 

That was until the Gamecocks pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season and derailed Alabama's cruise to the National Championship Game. 

With prospects like No. 1 overall recruit Jadeveon Clowney, top-rated defensive tackle Tim Jernigan, top-rated offensive tackle Cyrus Koundjio and top five running back Isaiah Crowell in the mix, Alabama didn't just hurt its chances of repeating as national champions, the Crimson Tide might have cost themselves the top recruiting class in the nation. 

They would have needed to land all of their top targets to even have a chance of passing Texas for the best 2011 recruiting class, but after the loss to South Carolina you have to think that shot is out the window. 

Many of the top recruits in the nation were in attendance for the game and you can bet many others witnessed the game on T.V. with a watchful eye.

Clowney is a South Carolina native and might have been swayed toward the in-state team with its upset over Alabama.

Jernigan and Koundjio, among other targets, are still looking at many teams so it's too early to tell exactly what the implications of Saturday's loss will be for them.

But Crowell is a different story.

The Georgia native is essentially down to a choice between staying at home and playing for the Bulldogs or heading across the border for a chance to play for the Crimson Tide. 

Mike Farrell of Rivals.com reported on Friday that Crowell was seriously leaning toward Alabama according to several sources. 

The news came as no surprise considering Crowell's close friendship with Crimson Tide running back Trent Richardson and the fact that Alabama was dominating their opponents at the time.

Crowell grew up a USC fan so Georgia never really had quite the in-state advantage that some would have thought it did, but is he still heavily leaning toward Alabama after what happened on Saturday?

The Tide looked wholly outmatched in the 35-21 loss to the Gamecocks, and the immortal image they'd been portrayed with through the first five weeks of the season now seems to have been quite premature.

It's not as though Georgia has helped itself with its play on the field either. The Bulldogs began the season with a 1-4 record, their worst start under coach Mark Richt. Sure, Georgia looked solid against Tennessee, but you have to wonder if too much damage has already been done.

Even if Georgia finishes the season strong, which will be no easy task with Kentucky, Florida, Auburn and Georgia Tech still to be played, 2011 recruits might have already lost faith in the program. 

It doesn't help that Richt's future is up in the air as well. 

So who came out of Saturday on top in the race for Isaiah Crowell?

Did Georgia make up ground with a convincing 41-14 victory over Tennessee or is Alabama still the team to beat after its loss to South Carolina?

The good money is still on Bama. When Farrell wrote that Crowell was heavily favoring the Crimson Tide it only confirmed what we already believed. Crowell wants to be a part of the Alabama backfield and be the next in line to try to rush his way to a Heisman. 

Crowell is in no hurry to make his decision and very well may drag this out until after the season, but if you had to pick a team today, it's still Alabama. 

You can check out a compete breakdown of the situation here.