Alabama football and its fans felt slighted after not making the College Football Playoff as a 9-3 SEC team, despite ugly losses to Oklahoma and Vanderbilt during the season. They were MAD mad about the perceived Alabama snub, and nonsensical talk of the Crimson Tide deserving a playoff spot continued through the first-round games.

Alabama's loss to Michigan, which preceded South Carolina's loss to Illinois, clinched a horrific college football bowl season for the SEC.

What a disappointing end to the first year of the Kalen DeBoer era. With the writing on the wall from the first quarter on, the Alabama Crimson Tide were unable overcome their sluggish offense and turnovers — losing to Michigan in Tuesday's ReliaQuest Bowl.