The other side of confetti: What happens when Alabama takes home an L

By WVUA 23 Digital Reporter Hunter De Siver

Every athlete’s dream is to see the confetti fall from the top of the stadium at the end of the National Championship game. But only one team is celebrating.

In all sports, winning a championship means more than life itself. From the Pop Warner fields to Super Bowl Sunday, athletes of all ages prep their entire season for the confetti to fall in their favor.

On Jan. 10, No. 1 Alabama faced No. 3 Georgia in the college football national championship.

Through accurate passing, strong running and a game-sealing pick-6, the Bulldogs defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18.

The confetti fell for what seemed like the 41 years that Georgia had been waiting for it to touch their faces. The Dawgs could finally slowly walk in a circle and fall asleep knowing they are the best college football team on the planet.

On the other side, the Tide headed back to the locker room, their season of hard work and resilience ending in bitter defeat.

Since coach Nick Saban turned Tuscaloosa back into Title Town, fans of the team dressed in crimson have expected nothing but perfection from the Tide. 

Saban has expressed many times that the fans have put too much pressure on these 20-year-old college students.

“Nobody wants to win more than the players, and nobody feels worse than they do when they lose,” Saban said.

Even though Alabama finished the season with two losses, that’s still a big success. For most schools, it’d be a cause for celebration. 

This season, fans got to experience a whole new team as several players of last year’s championship team left for the NFL.

Over the first two weeks, the world got to see an undersized quarterback become a star. From the dominance against Miami and Mercer to the clutch abilities being unleashed against Florida, Bryce Young became a household name.

A couple weeks later, a Heisman Trophy battle took place at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Young overtook Ole Miss Quarterback Matt Corral as the front runner for college football’s most prestigious award.

The very next week, Texas A&M shocked the world by beating Alabama on a game-winning field goal as time expired. The Aggies broke three unique streaks that the Tide had held for years.

Why was this a good thing? It made the college football world realize that Alabama was capable of losing, meaning the Tide began to work even harder.

They won every game for the rest of the regular season, including rivals Tennessee and LSU. They also took down their biggest rival Auburn in quadruple overtime after not scoring a single point until the final nine minutes of regulation.

Against all odds, one-loss Alabama beat undefeated Georgia 41-24 in the highly-anticipated SEC Championship. Against a defense that was considered to be immovable, Bryce Young solidified his Heisman campaign by throwing for 421 yards and three touchdowns.

However, Alabama lost star receiver John Metchie III to a knee injury that would sideline him for the college football playoff.

Throughout the season, linebacker Will Anderson Jr. was considered to be the best overall player in college football. His sack and tackle for loss numbers earned him the Bronco Nagurski Award as the nation’s best defensive player.

Before the National Championship, Alabama dismantled Cincinnati in the semi-final of the playoff. Will Anderson continued his historic season with two sacks.

The National Championship was a tough but exciting game. Alabama lost another star receiver in Jameson Williams to a knee injury that sidelined him for the rest of the game. With more injuries and unfortunate plays, the Tide kept it close but couldn’t get the job done.

In college football, players are only eligible to be drafted into the NFL after their junior season. The best part of this rule is that Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. are only sophomores.

With new 5-star recruits and more player development, the Tide should cruise back to the top in no time.