(Photo via Alabama Athletics\/SEC Media Portal)<\/p>\n
Every Monday right here you can read\u00a0Tide Takes<\/em>, where we\u2019ll get into a different topic on the Crimson Tide, break down the previous game, preview the upcoming game, and everything in between.<\/p>\n In this week’s edition, Alabama secured a trip to Atlanta with a road with in Lexington and seems to be playing the best ball it has been playing all season. That being said, all signs point to the Crimson Tide remaining at #8 in tomorrow’s CFP rankings with everyone ahead of them continuing to win. It’s worth at least asking at this point: does Alabama still control its own destiny?<\/p>\n After losing to Texas in week two, the picture became pretty crystal clear for Alabama: win out or be eliminated. Since then, the Crimson Tide have done just that, winning eight in a row including three ranked wins, four on the road, and improving every single week.<\/p>\n Yet as we head down the home stretch of the regular season, Nick Saban’s team still finds itself fairly well outside the playoff picture, behind teams like undefeated Florida State and Washington as well as Oregon and Texas.<\/p>\n Of course, the only thing Alabama can truly control is its own performance, and if it cannot defeat both Auburn and Georgia, the entire conversation is null and void.<\/p>\n But at this point, it is starting to look like the Crimson Tide could need some additional help as well.<\/p>\n Whether it be Texas losing a game, or Florida State slipping up in their undefeated path, Alabama is not going to be guaranteed anything even if it does go 12-1 and claim an SEC title in Atlanta.<\/p>\n There is still plenty of football left to be played, and chances are chaos will strike.<\/p>\n But right now for Alabama, the only thing they can do is continue to play their best football and hope things turn Crimson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"