TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — There are SEC teams who pride themselves on their calm, relentless march to victory, and there are teams who live in chaos, every game an adventure where wins aren’t assured but madness is. Alabama used to be one of the former teams. Now, in the Kalen DeBoer-Jalen Milroe era, it’s very much the latter.

You’d never get a soul within a hundred miles of Tuscaloosa to admit it, but last week’s loss to Vanderbilt rattled the Tide to their core. You could see it in the secondary ticket market, which collapsed in the hours following last week. You could see it in the empty seats all over the upper reaches of Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. And you could see it in the final 97 seconds of the first half, where the Tide defense completely fell apart and allowed 12 points — on three separate possessions — to the visiting South Carolina Gamecocks.

Yes, Alabama won, in a deeply unconvincing 27-25 victory after intercepting South Carolina on a potential winning drive in the final seconds.

The Gamecocks were stopped on a potential game-tying two-point try in the final minute, and they got one more shot when they recovered the ensuing onside kick. But Domani Jackson picked off SC quarterback LaNorris Sellers in the closing seconds to save the day for the Tide.

But wow, are there problems in T-Town.

It makes sense, the Tide’s shaken self-image. When you establish your identity on a generational expectation of excellence, you’re not exactly built to handle the sledgehammer-to-the-heart of a loss to Vanderbilt. If the sun rose blue in the west, that’d be pretty upsetting too.

Given a chance to redeem itself for that Vanderbilt faceplant with a home game against South Carolina, Alabama once again inexplicably, maddeningly fell far short of expectations. Instead, the Tide did a whole lot to confirm the idea that the crew that hung 28 straight on Georgia was the aberration, and the team that flailed against the Commodores is a whole lot closer to the true 2024 Tide.

Alabama took the opening kickoff and proceeded to march 75 yards into the end zone in four minutes even, and for a moment, the Crimson Tide’s fortunes seemed to have turned back in the expected direction. When the Tide took a 14-0 lead with 4:38 left in the first half, well, it wasn’t pretty, but hey, at least it was a two-possession lead, something the Tide never managed against Vanderbilt.

But then came the final 1:37 of the half, 97 seconds which defined this year’s Tide program and probably detonated the Heisman hopes of Alabama QB Jalen Milroe. First, the Alabama defense suffered yet another stunning defensive lapse, allowing Gamecock receiver Mazeo Bennett Jr. to get wide open in the end zone on a fourth-and-9. That cut the lead to 14-7.

On the ensuing possession, Milroe, under pressure, intentionally grounded the ball, resulting in a safety. Alabama forced South Carolina to punt, but Milroe then threw the first of his two interceptions. The clock appeared to run out, but officials put a second back on the timer … and that’s never good news for Alabama. South Carolina kicked a field goal to run out the half and draw within 14-12.

The Gamecocks kept the beat going in the third, grinding out a monstrous 16-play, 85-yard, 8 ½-minute drive that ended in a go-ahead touchdown. The stunned aura of what the hell is happening hung thick over Bryant-Denny Stadium, and when Milroe threw an interception in the end zone on the Tide’s next possession, disbelief veered toward fatalism.

But this is the Alabama of 2024, where nothing goes as expected. The very next play, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers fumbled away the ball, and Alabama flipped it into a touchdown to retake the lead in just 1:23.

From there, Milroe and crew righted the ship and held on for the win. Milroe provided some redemption by running for a 7-yard TD and throwing the clinching 34-yard score to Germie Bernard on third-and-10 with under two minutes in the game.

Alabama fans, for the moment, could exhale.

Despite an embarrassing loss last week, the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide host the South Carolina Gamecocks. This game kicks off at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 12 with a live broadcast on ABC, and streaming live on ESPN Plus.

• WATCH: Alabama vs. South Carolina football live for FREE with Fubo (free trial), or stream this game and more on the cheap with one month of ESPN+ (costs $10.99/month, cancel anytime).

Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers looks to lead SC to a upset win, but that’s a tall order against Jalen Milroe and the electrifying Alabama offense.

What TV channel is the Alabama vs. South Carolina football game on today?

When: Kickoff takes place at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT) on Saturday, October 12

Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium | Tuscaloosa, AL

TV Channel: ABC, and streaming on ESPN Plus

How to watch live stream online: If you don’t have cable, you can still watch this game live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or with DirecTV Stream (free trial). If you are out of free trials, the cheapest and best way to watch this game and more football this month is by signing up for one month of ESPN+ (costs $10.99/month, cancel anytime).

If you already have a cable or satellite subscription already, you can watch the game on Watch ESPN or the ESPN app by signing in with your provider information.

You can find out more about which channel ABC is on in your area by using the channel finders here: Comcast Xfinity, DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon Fios, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice.

Alabama vs. South Carolina spread, betting odds

Moneyline: ALA: -1800 | SC: +1000

Point spread: ALA: -21.5 | SC: +21.5

Over/Under: 50.5

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— It’s official. The Alabama men’s basketball team has a Final Four banner in Coleman Coliseum for the first time in program history.

Head coach Nate Oats, assistants Preston Murphy and Ryan Pannone and the remaining players from the unforgettable 2023-24 Crimson Tide roster received their rings on Friday night as well.

“It’s special,” Oats said after he received his much-deserved ring. “We’re becoming a basketball school here, as well, so we need the support [of the fans]. We need you guys to come to the games. I thought the turnout was really good to support our guys. It was a special moment.”

While the Final Four run was spectacular, the journey to the Big Dance wasn’t easy and it started the second after the 2022-23 season ended.

The Crimson Tide, who was the the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2022-23 had a bitter ending to the best season in school history as it fell to San Diego State in the Sweet 16. Alabama lost numerous players to the draft and transfer portal, and although the Tide was ranked for a good portion of this past season, it certainly was a shaky year.

Choosing upsets in brackets is a common theme in the annual NCAA Tournament, and Alabama, who entered March Madness as a No. 4 seed, was often picked to lose somewhat early by the college basketball community. Shortly before the NCAA Tournament, Alabama finished the regular season with a solid 21-11 record, but lost three of its last four games and also fell to Florida early in the SEC Tournament.

However, a switch flipped and the Tide quickly defeated 13-seeded Charleston and 12-seeded Grand Canyon in the NCAA Tournament to advance to the Sweet 16 against one-seeded North Carolina. Alabama-UNC was arguably the best game of the entire tournament as the Crimson Tide prevailed 89-87. Alabama then triumphed over six-seeded Clemson 89-82 in the Elite Eight matchup to achieve the dream of cutting the nets down.

The Tide’s magnificent Final Four run would end at the hands of UConn by a score of 86-72. The Huskies went on to defeat Purdue 75-60 in the National Championship to claim back-to-back titles.

Fast forward to this year’s team, Oats is putting last season’s Final Four in the past as he’s hoping to add a second banner with the words “National Champions” on it. Oats said on Monday that he believes this is the best roster he’s had since he became Alabama’s head coach on March 27, 2019.

“When you talk 1-through-13, it’s the deepest one we’ve had,” Oats said. “We’ve got experience, youth, athleticism, depth at every position. We’re a little banged up right now, but even with some guys out, we’ve got so much depth, we’re still pretty good. When we come together, we’ve got a lot of pieces, so I think it’s our best roster we’ve had since we’ve been here.”