Paul Finebaum doesn't believe Nick Saban was surprised by Alabama's loss to Texas

Texas‘ convincing 34-24 win over Alabama on Saturday stunned fans around the nation. Yet, perhaps the man most afflicted by the loss, wasn’t surprised at all. During an appearance on “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning,” Paul Finebaum revealed an interesting perspective on the Alabama loss.

“My guess is that Nick Saban was not that surprised,” Finebaum said. “I saw him Saturday morning and you don’t have a lot of time when you’re doing these interviews, but we had a couple of minutes and he was really concerned.

“You could see it etched in his eyes, in his face. He was concerned about some of the obvious things, the depth, injuries and so many other factors and I think that’s why he probably is not going crazy this morning because he’s plenty smart. He could have seen what could have been happening and what ultimately did happen.”

Although Saban may have seen the future, experts around the country did not. The game was an upset with Alabama sitting at No. 3 in the AP Top 25 and Texas ranked No. 10. Despite the lopsided rankings, Texas looked better in every facet of the game.

The Longhorns recorded nearly 100 more total yards of offense than the Crimson Tide. Further, Texas was more efficient under pressure. The team converted 7-18 (38.9%) of its third down attempts while Alabama converted on just 5-14 (35.7%) of its attempts.

Texas’ defense edged out Alabama’s, as well. The Longhorns squeezed two turnovers out of Alabama while committing none themselves. Lastly, Texas was the more disciplined team of the two. Alabama lost 90 yards due to turnovers compared to Texas’ mere 40 yards.

Looking forward for Alabama

Alabama was the worse team on Saturday. However, the Crimson Tide don’t have to have to worse season.

“The thing I think Alabama has going in its favor is the SEC right now. It does not look as good as it has been, so that might be the only saving grace,” Finebaum said. “You look down the schedule, maybe it doesn’t look as formidable. But, the real problem for Alabama, though, is they’re on a tight rope right now that they can’t afford another mistake.”

As of now, Alabama will face three more teams this season that are currently ranked in the AP Top 25. However, after the early loss, the Crimson Tide will likely have to defeat No. 1 Georgia, despite any surprises, in the SEC Championship to reach the College Football Playoff.

Saban and his Crimson Tide will look to get back on their feet on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET against South Florida. The game will be broadcast on ABC.