"Lack of discipline": When Kalen DeBoer didn't mince words after Alabama's heavy loss to underdog Vanderbilt

Alabama coach Kalen Deboer had big shoes to fill last season. He took over as the coach of the Crimson Tide after legendary coach Nick Saban retired following the 2023 season. He did not have a poor season, finishing with a 9-4 record and narrowly missing the college football playoff. However, by Alabama's standard, it was not what fans had come to expect from their team.

2024 was the first time since Saban's first season in 2007 that the Crimson Tide finished with less than 10 wins. So, while it was not a bad season, it was bad by Alabama's standards.

The team's least acceptable loss of the season came in early October against Vanderbilt. After winning their first four games of the season, the Crimson Tide were upset by the Commodores 40-35. After the game, Kalen DeBoer spoke to the media about the team's perceived lack of discipline.

"I guess, I mean is there more on the lack of discipline part," DeBoer said (Timestamp 3:10). "I mean when you come out on the short end, everything gets amplified right. You look into everything on another level.

"In regards to that, you can point to every little thing that happened and it being a lack of focus or discipline and having to do it better. I think what it really comes down to is having to do it over and over. We gave ourselves little room for error with the way the game started."

Kalen DeBoer might have made the college football playoff if not for the Vanderbilt loss

As a result of the loss to Vanderbilt, Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide finished with a 9-3 record in the regular season. Their record fell to 9-4 after losing the ReliaQuest Bowl to Michigan.

The team's other two losses came against Tennessee and Oklahoma. While the Oklahoma loss is also disappointing, the Vanderbilt loss is the one that stands out. If not for that loss, the Crimson Tide likely would have made the college football playoff.

Three teams from the SEC qualified for the college football playoff: Texas, Georgia and Tennessee. Those three teams all had 6-2 conference records or better. If Alabama beat Vanderbilt, their conference record also would have been 6-2.

With how big a draw Alabama is, it is hard to imagine the selection committee not picking the Crimson Tide for the college football playoff if they had the same record.