Just last week, we sat down at this very keyboard and opined that Alabama was right where it needed to be in order to get back within the College Football Playoff conversation. That a semi-predictable bounce here or an old reliable twist there, combined with a victory over Auburn in the Iron Bowl, would be enough to get the Crimson Tide back where it has always been: in the Playoff.

That was last week. And it was way before Saturday in Starkville.

It could be argued that a victory against Mississippi State/losing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa combination was actually worse for the Tide than a loss to the Bulldogs/keeping Tagovailoa healthy would have been.

Because a loss to Mississippi State wouldn’t have arguably the greatest quarterback in Alabama history destined for hip surgery Monday in a Houston hospital. It wouldn’t have ripped the heart and soul out of the Crimson Tide the way watching Tagovailoa writhing on the Davis-Wade Stadium turf, then carted off the field, then transported via ambulance to a helicopter to Birmingham, then again to Texas.

Now, without Tagovailoa, Alabama has dropped in the polls to No. 5 — reflecting Alabama’s pre-MSU College Football Playoff ranking. Technically at least, Alabama is precisely where it was heading into the Mississippi State game.

But no one on the planet would claim that to be a reality.

Alabama is, literally, a wounded powerhouse. Tagovailoa is done for the season. Again, technically, he is 1-22th of the starting lineup. But take away any team’s quarterback and see how good they are — no less one of the very best in the country and that team’s emotional leader.

But Tagovailoa isn’t the only starter who went down in Starkville.

Defensive linemen Raekwon Davis and DJ Dale, along with receiver Henry Ruggs, left with injuries and didn’t return. Alabama coach Nick Saban said that Ruggs has bruised ribs, that Dale has a “twisted knee,” and that Davis sprained an ankle.

As for Tagovailoa, who sustained a dislocated hip and posterior wall fracture, spent Saturday night at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham. Via a statement released by Alabama, team orthopedist Dr. Lyle Cain said Tagovailoa will have surgery Monday.

“For the past 24 hours our medical team has consulted with multiple orthopedic experts across the country, who specialize in hip injuries and surgeries,” the statement reads. “Based on that research, Tua is being flown to Houston tonight to be evaluated and is scheduled to have hip surgery Monday. As previously stated, we anticipate a full recovery. The main focus has been, and will remain, on Tua, his family, and making sure we are providing them the best medical care possible.”

For the short term, that means Mac Jones is officially QB1 in Tuscaloosa. It is his team to guide against Western Carolina in a paycheck game Saturday — a full dress rehearsal for the annual Iron Bowl clash against Auburn.

Alabama probably will still be No. 5 when the CFP rankings come out again Tuesday night. But it is hard to see how a victory against the Tigers in 2 weeks could keep Alabama from vaulting past Georgia and back to No. 4 in the rankings.

Beating Auburn without Tagovailoa will be no picnic. The Tigers fell to Georgia 21-14 and had their chances to knock off the Bulldogs all night long. Even at 7-3, Auburn rushes for 205.8 yards per game (26th in the country) and allows a stout 17.8 points per contest.

And Jones has only started one game all season — the Arkansas game the week after Tagovailoa injured his ankle against Tennessee. He went 18-of-22 for 235 yards and 3 touchdowns that day, but even the most basic of football watchers can tell you that Arkansas and Auburn are only similar in that they are both in the SEC and both begin with the letter A.

At least 1 national observer, CBS analyst Gary Danielson, believes Alabama would be a deserving No. 4 should it knock off the Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“I think the narrative here is backward,” Danielson said on the CBS broadcast of Georgia-Auburn on Saturday night. “They have been saying this is going to hurt Alabama with the voters. I think Alabama remembers back to Cardale Jones for Ohio State.

“If Alabama comes in here and beats Auburn without Tua, they deserve to be No. 4.”

Jones was listed 3rd on Ohio State’s QB depth chart in 2014, but injuries to Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett moved Jones up and into the limelight — where he led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title game victory over Wisconsin before beating Alabama 42-35 and Oregon 42-20 en route to the national championship.

“That would be a more impressive thing than before,” Danielson said. “Remember J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller were hurt. So, the team has to get the credit, not just the quarterback. Everyone thought Ohio State shouldn’t have been in with Cardale Jones. Look what they did.

“You have to say the team deserves the nod, whether they get it or not. You can’t eliminate them just because they don’t have Tua.”

Danielson, we hate to admit, is right. The problem is that Mac Jones isn’t Cardale Jones (or Braxton Miller, either, for that matter). And with Alabama’s myriad depth issues on defense, this could be the most wounded Tide team in recent memory.

Beat Auburn on the road, though, and Alabama might be in after all. That would give the Tide a month and change to get healthier on both sides of the ball before the CFP semifinals.

It won’t get Tagovailoa back, though. And that’s who Alabama really needs to win an 18th national title.