The Alabama Crimson Tide had a chance to all but guarantee themselves a spot in the College Football Playoff this past weekend.

Instead, Alabama fell to Georgia by a score of 20-17, and while we can debate the reasons why the Crimson Tide lost, the fact of the matter is that it gave them an "L" in the standings, and they are now 5-1 heading into a rough road matchup at Tennessee.

And while the score may indicate that Alabama's defense played well against the Bulldogs, the Crimson Tide were shredded to the tune of 455 yards as they simply could not stop Georgia's rushing attack.

And now, Kalen DeBoer's squad is about to face a Volunteers group that ranks second in the SEC in rushing.

Alabama absolutely should win this game. The Tide are a better team than the Vols. But we are about to find out exactly why 'Bama is made of next Saturday.

Why? Because Alabama's season may very well be on the line here.

Yes, the Crimson Tide made the College Football Playoff with three losses last year, but it was perhaps the most controversial decision in the young history of the CFP.

Alabama already has one loss on its resume this season. And while it's schedule after Tennessee isn't too challenging, it still cannot afford to put itself in the position where it absolutely cannot lose.

The chances of the Crimson Tide getting into the CFP with three losses again are slim. Last year, they rattled off four straight wins against ranked SEC opponents in the middle of the campaign, which was absolutely the reason for their inclusion.

Alabama won't be able to come close to doing that this season. The Tide have just two ranked opponents remaining on their schedule: No. 14 Tennessee on Saturday and an incredibly vulnerable No. 22 LSU team on Nov. 7.

There's a good chance the Crimson Tide see Georgia again in the SEC Championship Game, but for now, that is what their slate looks like.

If Alabama is able to best the Volunteers in Knoxville next weekend, it will absolutely be sitting pretty the rest of the way. An 11-1 regular season with a chance to win the SEC title would then be entirely possible.

A loss, however, would drop the Crimson Tide to 5-2 and would give them a very questionable track record against top-25 teams.

The expectation is that Alabama will beat Tennessee, but we'll have to see how the Crimson Tide respond with their backs truly against the wall.

Source: Yahoo Sports