Every Monday, we present “Tide Takes”, where we’ll get into a different topic on the Crimson Tide, break down the previous game, preview the upcoming game, and everything in between.

The Alabama Crimson Tide narrowly avoided the disaster of back-to-back losses for the first time in the regular season since 2007 on Saturday with a close 27-25 thrilling victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Tide trailed well into the fourth quarter before overcoming some adversity and scoring two touchdowns in the last frame along with a heart-stopping finish to preserve the victory. Naturally, much of the rhetoric in the aftermath has been negative toward how the performed on the heels of the shocking loss to Vanderbilt.

People have discussed the struggles of Jalen Milroe, the defense not looking the part once again, blaming Kane Wommack and angry with Kalen DeBoer for being happy and smiling after the close victory. Well, guess what Tide fans?

It’s hard to win in this conference!

Nick Saban is gone, and with him the days of joyless murderball where Alabama can expect weekly to stroll into any stadium on the map and automatically dominate their opponent just because there is a script A on their jerseys. It’s time for fans to start to appreciate each win and stop taking victories for granted.

It’s the hardest conference in college football for a reason. The alien-like dominance that Saban’s teams brought is a thing of the past. There is now more parity in the sport overall with the new era of college football. Look how Tennessee struggled this weekend. Even Georgia had it tough for three quarters against lowly Mississippi State.

The expectation of Kalen DeBoer to come in and be Nick Saban in terms of results is unrealistic and was never fair. It’s not to say the fans should accept failure — they shouldn’t. But let the guy build his foundation and understand that it was never going to be this completely seamless transition where the impact of the greatest to ever do it departing wouldn’t be felt.

And most importantly, enjoy the wins even if the performance wasn’t perfect. They’re too hard to come by to be dissatisfied after a victory.