Tyler Booker: ‘There would be no Georgia without Alabama, we are the standard’

On Saturday night, Alabama got an upset win over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. After the game, offensive lineman Tyler Booker made it clear, the Crimson Tide are the standard in college football, not the Bulldogs.

Booker explained that while Alabama works to block out external factors, he did hear comments made by analyst David Pollack.

“We block out all external factors,” Tyler Booker said. “But we just knew we had to make our statement today, especially when you’ve got guys like David Pollack saying that the standard is Georgia. The standard can only be imitated, not replicated. There’s only one Alabama and there’s always going to be one Alabama.”

Ultimately, going into the game, Alabama went in trying to prove that it was the standard, not Georgia, despite how the sport has trended over the last couple of seasons.

“The message was, ‘We are the standard.’ You know what I mean? There would be no Georgia without Alabama. We are the standard,” Booker said.”

“We proved that today. Might’ve had a slow two years but the standard is here. We are the standard. Block out what everybody else says, David Pollack, we are the standard.”

Whether or not Alabama makes it to the College Football Playoff and has a chance to reclaim its throne atop the sport as national champions remains to be seen. There are more teams with good arguments to make it to the Playoff than there are spots for them this season. Somebody is getting left out.

No matter what happens to Alabama as the Playoff is concerned, Tyler Booker is right about one thing. Alabama has reasserted itself as the standard in the SEC as conference champions.

Alabama coach Nick Saban addresses College Football Playoff possibility

Following the SEC Championship Game win, Nick Saban spoke to Jenny Dell of CBS. In that on-field interview, Saban admitted that whether or not Alabama made the Playoff wasn’t for him to say. Instead, he wanted to celebrate with his team.

“That’s not really for me to say,” Saban said. “I’m going to enjoy this win and we’ll figure it out tomorrow. But we did our part. We did what he had to do to have a chance.”

For Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, the SEC Championship Game was proof Alabama belonged in the Playoff, or that non-conference scheduling would need to change.

“If we would have played a Group of Five game instead it Texas, there’d be no debate right now,” Byrne said.