The Alabama Crimson Tide lost a heartbreaker to the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday night which was marred by some tough officiating, but in a 12-team playoff era, things are far from completely lost.

If the Tide can get back on the horse and take care of their business, they will absolutely be a team in the College Football Playoff, with a potential rematch against Georgia in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. Count at least one major insider of the sport as someone who not only sees that, but thinks this may be the two best teams in the sport.

Big 10 on FOX commentator Joel Klatt during an appearance on “The Next Round” made the bold declaration, and as a guy who is employed to talk about the rival conference, his opinion means a ton here.

"I thought I was watching probably the two best teams in the country play on Saturday night… To me, Bama is more real towards a national title threat post the loss to Georgia than they were prior." – @joelklatt pic.twitter.com/MWkB0v7SOE

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) October 12, 2026

“I thought I was watching probably the two best teams in the country play on Saturday night,” Klatt said. “I moved [Alabama] up a spot from where they were a week ago…So as much of a moral victory as can be claimed, Bama is more real towards a national title threat post the loss to Georgia than they were prior.”

Alabama is going to have less room for error here moving forward, but they certainly proved on Saturday that they are a real player for the national title. Despite the loss, may be the second best team in the sport right now. Clearly, it’s not just folks in this state who are starting to recognize that fact.