Alabama coach Nick Saban took a very measured approach to the Tide's loss to Texas on Saturday evening, conceding his team "didn't do very well" in its first real test, but compared it to a "midterm, not the final."
"Everybody's basically got two choices," Saban said after the game. "You can throw in the towel and quit and be mediocre, or you can fight and grind and do the hard things that you need to be successful. We certainly don't want to waste this failing."
Alabama is not out of the College Football Playoff because it lost to Texas, but it will be if doesn't get better.