"Certainly disappointed": Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer pours out his feelings after the Crimson Tide were left out of the playoffs

Kalen DeBoer talked to the media on Sunday night after Alabama (9-3) missed out on the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide were left out of the expanded postseason competition after SMU, which lost the ACC championship game, got the nod from the selection committee.

Reacting to the development in his media availability conducted through videoconferencing, Kalen DeBoer expressed his disappointment at missing out on the playoffs. This paints a picture of what his first season in Tuscaloosa will be remembered for after replacing Nick Saban.

“Certainly disappointed that we weren’t one of the 12 selected,” DeBoer said. “Certainly feel we’re one of those, and there are things that obviously we’ve got to do and could’ve done this year, but got to make sure it’s not in other people’s hands and keep ourselves kind of focused on that next year.”

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Kalen DeBoer confirms the players were also disappointed

The disappointment across the playoff snub cut across the entire program. With the pedigree of Alabama in college football over the years, missing out on a 12-team playoff isn't a befitting development. Kalen DeBoer made it known that his players were also disappointed.

“Had our banquet tonight with our guys,” DeBoer said. “Haven’t had a lot of one-on-one talks and things like that. Certainly, they share the same disappointment, but also looking forward to what lies ahead with our bowl opportunity.”

“Obviously, hoping it was going to be more than one game, but we’ve got one more game together and gonna make the most of it.”

Without a doubt, the Week 13 loss to Oklahoma in Norman ruined Alabama's playoff chances. It was the Crimson Tide's worst game of the season as they were limited to just a field goal in the 21-3 loss.

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Kalen DeBoer on getting revenge against Michigan

After missing out on the playoffs, Alabama will be out against Michigan (7-5) in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Kalen DeBoer gets to face the Wolverines again after losing the national championship game to them last season at Washington. He was questioned about getting revenge.

“There’s so many different pieces to this," DeBoer said. "I get that and appreciate the question for sure, but I think that again, we’ve always made it about this team. That’s when we’ve been at our best is when we really focus on just what it means to this program, this team.”

The bowl game is also a rematch of last season’s Rose Bowl matchup. Michigan defeated Alabama 27-20 in overtime to claim a place in the national championship game where it faced DeBoer's Washington. It will be an opportunity for revenge for both the coach and the team.