And just like that, the Alabama Crimson Tide have been presented problems and offered no solutions at the quarterback position.
Alabama enters the last weekend of September with a 2-1 record, but should be thanking its lucky stars to not be 1-2 with a ghastly bad loss on the road to Alex Golesh's South Florida Bulls. Yes, the Crimson Tide eked out a 17-3 victory in Tampa over their AAC opponent, but whatever we saw out of Tyler Buchner and later Ty Simpson is simply not going to cut it. Jalen Milroe needs to start for them.
Weather was definitely an issue in Tampa, but Alabama isn't winning squat without Milroe this season.
Alabama must turn back to Jalen Milroe to save Crimson Tide's season
Buchner may have a greater rapport with new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees than anyone, but what on earth did we see last night that leads us to believe that this former Golden Domer duo is actually going to work in SEC play? The biggest question head coach Nick Saban needs to answer is this one: What quarterback gives Alabama the best chance to win when they face Ole Miss on Saturday?
See, if Alabama loses to the Rebels at home, the Crimson Tide will have fallen to not only 2-2 on the year, but a crippling 0-1 in SEC play. They would lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to Lane Kiffin's squad with huge conference games on the horizon vs. fellow rivals like LSU, Tennessee and Texas A&M. Simply put, a loss to Ole Miss pretty much eliminates Alabama getting to Atlanta in December.
And we're not even going there when it comes to making the final four-team College Football Playoff. Right now, Alabama may be the fourth-best team in its own league, possibly second-best in its own division. Georgia has not been a juggernaut thus far, but the Dawgs have an easier slate left and plenty of time to eventually get it right. As for Alabama, they must turn to Milroe before it is too late.
This is all about adding the dynamic element Milroe possesses in the running game. At the very least, he has SEC speed, something that Buchner and Simpson may stand no chance of handling this year. Again, Alabama looked horrific against the worst program in The American, albeit on the road and in the elements. Still, who besides Milroe is beating Ole Miss? Either Milroe or maybe Dylan Lonergan?
For now, Alabama's chances of making the playoff at this juncture feel like merely a pipe dream.
