Was the loss to Vanderbilt the most shocking in Alabama football history? Here are 8 more candidates

Alabama's 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday in Nashville had many implications.

Shocking? Absolutely.

Awkward? Perhaps.

Unprecedented? Perhaps.

We want to research the latter in this area.

Here's why it's number 1 on the list:

• Alabama hadn't lost to Vanderbilt since 1984. Bill Curry never lost to the Commodores, nor did Mike DuBose or Mike Shula. The Ray Perkins-led Crimson Tide team that lost to Vandy 40 years ago finished 5-6 and had already lost twice this year. This Alabama team was No. 1 in the country and had just beaten Georgia.

• Vanderbilt was 0-60 against top five teams in its history. The Commodores had pulled off some near-miracles against ranked teams in the past, but were unable to complete this one. Until now.

• And perhaps most of all: It's Alabama — arguably the most storied college football program in college football history (and certainly the most dominant of the last decade) — and it's Vanderbilt — for most, a punchline of SEC football's last Century. Talk about a David (or maybe Diego?) and Goliath story.

However, your mileage may vary for this specific damage. Maybe you have another one that's even more annoying.

If this was NOT the worst/most embarrassing/shocking loss in Alabama history, here are eight other candidates (in chronological order):

1. Auburn 14, Alabama 13 (December 3, 1949)

This happened so long ago that few who saw it can still remember it, but back then it was an absolute stunner. The Crimson Tide had beaten the Tigers 55-0 in the Iron Bowl revival the previous season and entered 1949 with a record of 6-2-1 and 1-4-3 for Auburn. Johnny Wallis and George Davis scored touchdowns for Auburn and Alabama's Ed Salem missed a game-winning extra point with 1:13 left. A rivalry was born.

2. Auburn 17, Alabama 16 (December 2, 1972)

Almost everyone who is familiar with the Iron Bowl knows the basics of this model. Paul “Bear” Bryant’s Crimson Tide was 10-0 and ranked No. 2 nationally and had secured its second straight SEC Championship. Shug Jordan's Tigers were a good team at 9-1, but Alabama led 16-3 with less than six minutes left and had completely dominated the game statistically. In the blink of an eye (do that with two eyes), Auburn's Bill Newton blocked two punts and David Langner returned both for touchdowns in a 17-16 Tigers victory that was immortalized as the “Punt Bama Punt.”

3. Mississippi State 6, Alabama 3 (November 1, 1980)

The Crimson Tide won eight of nine SEC championships from 1971 to 1979 and won national championships in 1973, 1978 and 1979. Bryant's team held a 7-0 record, No. 1 national ranking and a school-record 28-game winning streak heading into a date in Jackson with the Bulldogs, who had not beaten Alabama since 1958 (Bryant's first year at Alabama). Redshirt freshman quarterback John Bond did just enough to keep Alabama's defense off balance through Emory Ballard's Wishbone offense, and Dana Moore kicked two field goals. Alabama drove to Mississippi State's 4-yard line in the final seconds, but Tyrone Keys released the ball from Billy Jackson and the Bulldogs recovered to secure the victory, which still stands as the most memorable victory in MSU history program applies.

4. Georgia Tech 24, Alabama 21 (September 12, 1981)

Bryant's program faltered somewhat in the early 1980s, but it was still impressive given the opposition. The Yellow Jackets went 1-9-1 in 1980 under first-year coach Bill Curry and were 24-point underdogs when they visited Legion Field to begin the 1981 season. Second-place Alabama had already played one game, defeating LSU in Baton Rouge. Tech outscored Alabama 10-0 in the fourth quarter and took the lead for good on Robert Lavette's second touchdown run of the game. Alabama turned the ball over four times, but still had a chance to tie the game on the final play. However, Peter Kim's 50-yard field goal was clearly too short. In an interesting postscript, Alabama won the SEC Championship that season – Bryant's 13th and final with the Crimson Tide. The win over Alabama ended up being Georgia Tech's only win in a 1-10 season.

5. Memphis State 13, Alabama 10 (October 10, 1987)

Saturday's loss to Vanderbilt wasn't the first for a first-year Alabama coach on the road against a little-respected Tennessee State opponent. Bill Curry's team was 4-1 and ranked 15th nationally when the host Tigers – who had been 1-10 the year before – pulled off the shock in the Liberty Bowl. The Crimson Tide ran for 208 yards but only managed 66 yards and threw three interceptions. In the end, it was an Alabama native – Johnny Butler of Phenix City – who was the hero for Memphis State, kicking a 47-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter. Alabama bounced back the following week against Tennessee to hand eventual SEC champion LSU its only loss of the season in early November, but lost its final final games to finish 7-5. Memphis finished 5-5-1 and lost to Southern Miss and Louisiana later that season.

6. LSU 17, Alabama 13 (November 6, 1993)

This may seem like an odd choice given the reputation of the two programs over the last 20 years or so, but LSU was a legitimately bad team for most of the 1990s before Nick Saban set the Tigers on their current path. Alabama was the reigning national champion and had a 31-game unbeaten streak – Gene Stallings' Crimson Tide had its 28-game winning streak snapped after a 17-17 tie with Tennessee earlier in the season – than LSU with 3:5 against Bryant -Denny Stadium. With starting quarterback Jay Barker injured, the Crimson Tide ended up playing Brian Burgdorf, Freddie Kitchens and even David Palmer at center, and the three combined for four interceptions. LSU scored two touchdowns in the third quarter, which was enough for the shocking win. Alabama finished 9-3-1 and defeated North Carolina in the Gator Bowl.

7. Mississippi State 17, Alabama 16 (November 16, 1996)

The Crimson Tide played a number of tough games against inferior teams during the Stallings years, but almost always won. That wasn't the case on a wild night in Starkville, as Mississippi State beat Alabama for the first time in 16 years and just the second time in 38 years. Alabama was 8-1 and ranked No. 8 nationally, while Jackie Sherrill's Bulldogs were 3-5. Mississippi State led 14-13 at halftime (after Alabama missed an extra point), then neither team scored in the third quarter. The Crimson Tide took a 16-14 lead on a 42-yard field goal by Jon Brock with 11:22 left, and Mississippi State's Brian Hazelwood answered with a 39-yarder with 8:49 to play Bulldogs in the lead. Izell McGill had two interceptions for MSU, including one in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice. Like Vanderbilt fans Saturday night, Bulldogs supporters tore down both goalposts at Scott Field. Alabama beat Auburn 24-23 the following week to win the SEC West title, then lost to Florida in the SEC championship game before defeating Michigan in the Outback Bowl and emerging victorious from the retiring Stallings.

8. Louisiana-Monroe 21, Alabama 14 (November 17, 2007)

The Crimson Tide obviously wasn't a great team in Saban's first year, but a home loss to a no-name program like ULM was still a blow – and remains so 17 years later. As is usual in these games, the ball losses were costly. Alabama had four of them, including a killer Jimmy Johns fumble in the red zone in the final minutes. In fact, the Crimson Tide made three trips inside the ULM 20 and didn't score. There was a lot of talk at the time about how Saban was the highest-paid coach in college football, while the Warhawks' Charlie Weatherbie was the lowest-paid coach in the FBS. It was the third of four straight losses to end the regular season for Alabama, which bounced back to beat Colorado in the Independence Bowl and finish 7-6. During the remainder of Saban's incredible tenure, the Crimson Tide never experienced another season like this – nor another losing season.

So that's our list. Have we forgotten any? Email your suggestions to the address below. Creg Stephenson covered college football AL.com and other publications since 1994. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter/X at @CregStephenson.