Paul Finebaum: Alabama’s win over South Carolina felt like a loss

Alabama may have defeated South Carolina over the weekend, but Paul Finebaum was blunt following the win, believing the victory actually felt like a loss for the Crimson Tide.

Kalen DeBoer’s team was predicted by many to come out and simply run over the Gamecocks, as fans and media members alike expected a huge bounce-back game for Alabama after their loss to Vanderbilt the week prior. That didn’t happen, and Finebaum joined McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on Monday to try and explain where the Crimson Tide stand.

“They did get a win, but it felt like a loss,” Finebaum said, regarding Alabama’s victory over South Carolina in Week 7. “Whether that really matters or not I think is yet to be determined, but we live in the moment, whether we’re prisoners or not, and most Alabama fans with whom I’ve spoken just came away with a very bad feeling. It was exactly the opposite of what fans expected.

“Fans predictably expected your bounce back. This couldn’t have been — ‘Vanderbilt had to be an outlier.’ This team has to be a lot better than that, based on what we’ve seen the week before, and it seemed like a continuum, and that’s what has so many people upset, and making this feel more like a loss than a win.”

While Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic pushed back on that notion, believing Alabama showed serious improvement against South Carolina, Finebaum believes the narrative at the moment won’t be kind to the Crimson Tide regardless.

“All that goes down the drain in the minds of the fans when they’re watching a series of events that literally took their breath away,” Finebaum added. “The entire country was sitting there going, ‘What is going on here?’ If you look at it objectively, sure, you can chart it. You can make a lot of different cases. But that’s not how people react.

“I mean, we’re talking about a moment in time. If Alabama goes to Knoxville and wins, their percentage of getting in the playoffs goes up exponentially, and the meltdown on this Monday is a blip on the radar.”

While the past two weekends have been tough for Alabama, a trip to Knoxville, and a return to Tuscaloosa with a win over Tennessee could do wonders for the Crimson Tide. We’ll see if they can get it done in Week 8.

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