Paul Finebaum blames one person for Alabama's heartbreaking playoff loss to Michigan

For the third straight season, the Alabama Crimson Tide will not be national champions. For the second year in a row, they will not even be playing in the national championship. With only two national titles since 2017, one of which occurred during COVID, the standard has not been the standard in Tuscaloosa for as much as anyone would like to think that it is. What is going on here?

During Tuesday's installment of Get Up, ESPN's Paul Finebaum pointed out how painfully frustrating it was to watch Tommy Rees' offense go to work. While it was only the 30-something's first season as the Alabama offensive coordinator, this was not Nick Saban's first rodeo in the national semifinals. Alabama saw its six-game national semifinals winning streak fall to the wayside in the Michigan loss.

Here is what Finebaum said about what he saw from Rees' side of the ball in the Rose Bowl defeat.

“I was underwhelmed, and this is a guy that a lot of us were questioning after the Texas game on Sept. 9. And then the next week we all know what happened. He pulled Jalen Milroe and he went through the second and third team, especially the guy he brought with him in Tyler Buchner from Notre Dame, who is now about to leave Alabama to play lacrosse, and he really was able to figure out a lot of things.”

The noted college football analyst attributed Alabama's successes, and failures, this season to the play of its offensive line. While it was outstanding vs. Georgia, it was anything but that vs. Michigan.

“Namely, the offensive line got very good and by the time we got to Georgia a couple of weeks ago, they were great. What we saw last night was the offensive line of the Texas game and it’s hard to really put into words the morning after, but Tommy Rees didn’t dial up a very good game. He didn’t adjust very well. When it came down to the biggest play of the year, he failed.”

The fourth-and-goal botched play from three yards out with the game on the line will leave a lasting memory in Alabama fans' minds for a long time, one that the Crimson Tide faithful will want to forget.

Paul Finebaum blames Tommy Rees for Alabama's playoff loss to Michigan

Football is a team game, but it became abundantly clear from opening kickoff that Michigan had the better team. The Wolverines do love to play with their food, which nearly cost them vs. the Crimson Tide on Monday evening. It may come back to haunt them in the National Championship game vs. the Washington Huskies on Monday night, but the memory of last year's Fiesta Bowl meltdown remains.

Sure, Rees may get the bulk of the blame. Yes, some of this should fall on Saban. Of course, starting quarterback Jalen Milroe should get a sliver of it as well. However, if former Alabama center Seth McLaughlin snapped the ball just a little bit better, maybe we are seeing a rematch of the 2016 Peach Bowl vs. Washington in the natty? Fate would have it, McLaughlin has hit the portal.

Ultimately, what we got was a four-team playoff that featured four teams certainly capable of winning a national championship. We rarely get that in most years. While some could argue that upwards of six teams could have won the final four-team College Football Playoff, that number might actually be closer to five, given what we saw in the Orange Bowl between Georgia and Florida State on Saturday.

While you have to like Alabama's chances next season, this is a critical offseason for Rees and Saban.