Kelly: What is this Alabama football team?

This is an opinion column.

Alabama football seems to have a late-season identity crisis.

Is this a good football team? The Crimson Tide sure didn’t look the part on the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium field, later ravaged by rushing fans.

What’s strange, and confusing, is that a good football team has made appearances wearing crimson and white throughout 2024. Dare I say an elite one even, on a few occasions. As long ago, and as hard to remember, as that Georgia first half might be, it happened. Same with that shutout of Missouri. And that trampling of LSU.

Seriously. None of that was a dream. It all happened, this year in fact.

Yet on Saturday, somehow Alabama lost 24-3 to Oklahoma, a team in 2024 that has been unranked, flappable and often unimpressive. A Sooners squad good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Then Oklahoma crushed the same Crimson Tide (8-3, 4-3 SEC) that beat Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri and LSU.

Well, the same players, coaches and staffers at least.

The product, performance and execution were not a replica from Alabama’s best moments or games under new coach Kalen DeBoer. Far from it, actually. The Crimson Tide sputtered on offense against the Sooners (6-5, 2-5). Quarterback Jalen Milroe couldn’t rocket past defenders. The Oklahoma defense stifled him on the ground. Then the Alabama passing game looked all out of sorts.

What happened to the offense that looked unstoppable two weeks ago in Baton Rouge?

The Alabama defense didn’t do much to help the offense enough, outside of an early takeaway. The Crimson Tide proved far too giving, allowing 205 yards in the first half alone. Oklahoma had no business running like it did; The Sooners entered the game ranked No. 86 among FBS teams in rushing offense, averaging 143.5 yards per game. Then Oklahoma ran over Alabama for 257 yards and two rushing scores.

What happened to the defense that allowed only one touchdown over two games to Missouri and LSU? You know, the one that grabbed at least three takeaways in five straight games?

It sure didn’t show up Saturday.

The inconsistency of this Alabama team has been nothing short of jarring. Just when you think you know what to expect, the Crimson Tide decides to surprise. Beat Georgia, lose to Vanderbilt. Beat South Carolina, lose to Tennessee. Beat Missouri and LSU, lose to … Oklahoma. Did that really happen?

Make it make sense.

The loss to the Vols wasn’t necessarily a shock, thought it did sting. The other two losses fuel the confusion. The perplexity as to how an Alabama team capable of winning big games can also lose some stinkers.

Both the Vanderbilt and Oklahoma losses felt like slaps to the face, hitting you with how average this Crimson Tide team can be if it doesn’t play well. Then again, if you’ve been paying attention to the transformation of Alabama the past few years, the slap might not be so jarring.

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Nick Saban didn’t dominate game in and game out his final seasons in Tuscaloosa. Not like his teams did during the peak of his dynasty. Look no further than 2023.

Saban, arguably the greatest college football coach of all time, had to put together a coaching masterclass to get Alabama to the playoff one more time before he retired. His teams battled inconsistency throughout. The same 2023 Alabama team that lost to Texas and barely beat South Florida went on to defeat ranked Ole Miss, Tennessee and LSU. Then the Crimson Tide almost lost to unranked Auburn, before turning around the next week to knock off top-ranked Georgia for the SEC.

Saban didn’t lose three games, though. Not since 2010, at least. The fact Alabama lost its third game in 2024 during the regular season in Norman brought even more sting.

Maybe this is Alabama’s new reality, shared with the rest of college football. Any given Saturday, you can lose. Every week it feels more NFL like in that way. NIL and the transfer portal have ensured more parity than ever. Just this weekend, Florida, Arizona State, Auburn, Kansas and Oklahoma upset ranked teams with CFP aspirations.

Alabama is a team that can beat anyone. We have evidence. The Crimson Tide is also a team that can lose to anyone. Also, evidence.

That’s why Alabama, at this point, isn’t a good team or a bad team. More than ever, it’s a team that makes you wait until Saturday to find out who will show up.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.