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This is an opinion column.

Auburn is suddenly a lot closer to Alabama than anyone could have imagined a week ago.

And just like that, the Iron Bowl is here.

Let’s just hope SEC officials understand the general rules of football by then.

If There’s a Path for Alabama to the College Football Playoff After Its Egg Giveaway 24-3 loss at Oklahomaso new coach Kalen DeBoer is a goose that lays the golden eggs.

Or is it smoked turkey? Because, let’s face it, Alabama’s season is geared up before Thanksgiving.

Pessimistic Alabama fans are already calling DeBoer a newer version of Shula. He can still be a good coach at Alabama, but not this season. It’s clear DeBoer wasn’t ready for the SEC. For all his glowing records before joining the big league football there, that’s the harsh truth. Alabama wasn’t prepared for Vanderbilt and Alabama wasn’t prepared for Oklahoma and that’s the season.

And in year one at Alabama, DeBoer is a certified failure.

Maybe it would have been a different story for DeBoer with his former offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb. But DeBoer either sold a bag of goods to Alabama, assuring Greg Byrne that Grubb would also be moving from Seattle to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, or Byrne may have forgotten to ask when selecting Nick Saban’s successor. Either way, Alabama’s offense is about as cohesive as a dirt road in Winston County.

It’s a lot of fun sometimes, but sometimes you find yourself in a ditch.

Would things have gone smoother with Grubb as offensive coordinator? That’s a question DeBoer will have to ask himself during all his free time in December. Maybe he could visit Grubb and the Seattle Seahawks for advice.

After watching Alabama roll into that sandbox for a football field in Oklahoma, nothing should be out of the question. And let me spell this sentence just to be clear. One member of DeBoer’s team probably needs to be disassociated from his commitment to Alabama football after the Crimson Tide’s worst offensive effort since 2004.

DeBoer seemed to have turned around Alabama’s season after losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee. But no. It turns out LSU just wasn’t very good at football.

Even so, I always thought Alabama still had a chance to win the national championship. After all, this team was one game away from playing for the goods last season. I hate it for him, but quarterback Jalen Milroe is going to blame himself for this failed season.

But that doesn’t mean Milroe is very good at kicking, of course.

I’m still trying to figure out what he was thinking after throwing his second interception of the game.

First of all, it was a terrible play call, so that’s on offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan. The lack of execution, however, was entirely due to Milroe, and it didn’t matter that Milroe then tried to shift the blame to receiver Kobe Prentice.

Maybe Prentice didn’t do a good enough job picking off Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis, but Milroe should have seen Lewis moving for the interception. Lewis jumped the route and headed for the end zone.

With the ball in Lewis’s hands, it was a player on the Alabama team who had to make a game-saving tackle. But Milroe and his imposing figure were no match for the challenge. He had the angle, but, for some reason – and I guess he thought he was suddenly playing football – Milroe tried to slide tackle Lewis as the defender ran to pay.

I guess Milroe makes too much money to take care of it.

And if it was a business decision to avoid the hit, then Milroe should probably consider bowling for Alabama, because the last thing he wants NFL executives to remember is his entry into the draft is this absurd attempt at karate.

Alabama football, where champions are made to…sweep the leg?

And, in the end, it doesn’t matter if the referee threw a horrible flag that negated a touchdown for Alabama receiver Ryan Williams. But someone has to say it. If Alabama doesn’t deserve to make the playoffs, then the official who made that call should receive a pink slip from the SEC.

With Alabama holding three losses, the Iron Bowl will be reserved for in-state bragging rights this season, and nothing more. First it was Vanderbilt that beat Alabama and Auburn in the same season for the first time since 1955, and now it was Oklahoma that did the trick in his first season as a member of the SEC.

Auburn ultimately decided to play this season in the same week as Alabama. The Tigers’ impressive 43-41 overtime victory over Texas A&M now sets the stage for major change in the SEC heading into rivalry week.

Old miss? Out of the playoffs.

Alabama? Better luck next time with the slide tackle.

Texas A&M? No match for the Thorne-stache.

Auburn and Hugh Freeze have all the momentum needed for the Iron Bowl and the rookies will be listening.

BE HEARD

Do you have a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what you think. Make your voice heard. Ask him anything.

Joseph Goodman is the leading sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group and author of the book “We want Bama: a season of hope and the creation of Nick Saban’s ultimate team.”