Paul Finebaum reflected on Alabama’s loss to Texas in Week 2 during a Monday appearance on McElroy And Cubelic In The Morning.

The ESPN analyst believes that while Alabama is still a competitive program, the mystique has been rubbed off with losses over the past few years.

“This one just didn’t seem that surprising. I know that is in conflict with all of the predictions because most people had Alabama winning big. But as you watched it, it started to feel routine. We’ve seen this a couple of times before,” Finebaum said. “…The fact that Nick Saban lost to an assistant didn’t seem that shocking either. This is now 3 times in the last 3 seasons.”

Finebaum added that the defeat will cause the Crimson Tide to look in the mirror.

“I came away really feeling empty after the game in Tuscaloosa,” Finebaum said. “It just seemed like this was an inflection point and that cannot be ignored.”

Texas tallied 5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss, which makes Finebaum question Alabama’s offensive line.

“This offensive line that we’ve all heard about was beaten in the trenches,” Finebaum said. “I think that does say a lot about Texas.”

Finebaum says Alabama has now lost its leeway with an early season defeat.

“The real problem for Alabama is they’re on a tight rope. They can’t afford another mistake,” Finebaum said. “That’s really the most dangerous part of losing to Texas early.”

However, Finebaum advises Alabama to not focus on what those outside the locker room are now projecting.

“The most important thing the coaches have to do is keep everybody focused. The cliche is still true that they can still play for the SEC championship. That’s what I would be saying,” Finebaum said. “I wouldn’t get hung up on the national narrative, which is pretty desperate today.”