You might say that Alabama football is on Stephen A. Smith’s naughty list this Christmas season.
The fiery ESPN commentator unloaded on the Crimson Tide on Wednesday’s edition of “First Take.”
What seemed to draw Smith’s ire was Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne’s comments this week that the university would “need to assess” scheduling future Power Four nonconference games after the Crimson Tide (9-3 overall) missed the College Football Playoff.
Smith wasn’t buying it and reminded viewers (and Byrne) that Alabama’s three losses had all come in SEC play: to the Oklahoma Sooners, Vanderbilt Commodores and Tennessee Volunteers.
Said Smith:
“Alabama makes me sick. This AD, let tell you what the AD was doing. He was still trying to act like Nick Saban was still the coach. ‘Well, maybe we’ll blame it on our conference schedule,’ like he got screwed over or something; like something was owed to them. Nick Saban is gone and the program has taken a step back. DeBoer is not Saban. Why do I say that? You lost to Vanderbilt.”
The loss to Vanderbilt on Oct. 5 was a first for Alabama football in 40 years. The Crimson Tide fell 24-17 at Tennessee two weeks later, and their lifeless 24-3 loss to Oklahoma on Nov. 23 came at a time when the Crimson Tide was still in control of their playoff destiny.
Smith continued:
“You scored three points against Oklahoma. We forgot Oklahoma had a defense over the last decade and a half until they reminded us when they went up against Alabama and held them to three points.
“The nerve of Alabama. They have been a huge disappointment. I was very happy they were left out because the standard that Nick Saban had established over the last nearly two decades took a dive, and the fact is they needed to be held accountable for it. I don’t have a problem with them missing the playoffs at all.”
Alabama will face Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl (Outback Bowl) on New Year’s Eve at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT The game will be televised on ESPN.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: ‘Alabama makes me sick,’ Stephen A. Smith blasts Crimson Tide football
