This game was essentially a matchup between two bubble teams and possibly eliminated one from NCAA contention.

JaMychal Green lead the way with 19 points and nine rebounds while Charvez Davis added 17.

The two teams finished the regular season with identical 20-10 records, but Alabama was much better in SEC play.

Both teams are going to need impressive performances in the SEC tournament to assure themselves an NCAA berth.

The running back’s stock fell somewhat this year, but he is still expected to be taken in the second half of the first round.

He won the Heisman Trophy and national championship last year, but did not come close to either in 2010.

The junior spent much of the season banged up and fighting injuries, even missing a couple of games.

Ingram, who does not possess breakaway speed, has often been compared to former Dallas Cowboys star Emmitt Smith.

There was some concern heading into the game that Alabama might not be fired up to play because it was not a big bowl.

They alleviated any such fears in a hurry, jumping on Michigan State to take a 28-0 lead into halftime.

The Crimson Tide absolutely dominated on the ground, rushing for 275 yards and six touchdowns.

Quarterback Greg McElroy polished off an excellent college career by throwing for 220 yards and a touchdown.

It was not the path to perfection that led Alabama to the national championship one season ago. Instead, the Crimson Tide’s hopes of repeating as rulers of college football fell apart with three losses.

But even though the Tide didn’t even make it to the Southeastern Conference championship game, Alabama finds itself playing on New Year’s Day in the Capital One Bowl against Big Ten Conference co-champion Michigan State.

Alabama (9-3) will try to reach double-digits in victories for the third consecutive season. The stakes are not being as high as they were last season, when the Tide beat Texas for the national title, but the Tide come in with one of the top defenses in the nation and an offense that is 21st in scoring at 34.6 points per game.

The matchup pits two friends and former co-workers against each other in Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio and Alabama’s Nick Saban. Dantonio served as an assistant under Saban when Saban was Michigan State’s head coach from 1995-99. Dantonio suffered a heart attack during the season, but is back on the sidelines.

Alabama’s offense will revolve around last season’s Heisman Trophy winner, Mark Ingram, along with quarterback Greg McElory and standout wide receiver Julio Jones.

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Alabama still had a chance in the final minutes, but couldn’t generate any offense with quarterback Greg McElroy sidelined with a concussion.

The McElroy loss was a killer because he had played so well up to that point, finishing with 377 yards passing and three touchdowns.

The Crimson Tide jumped out to a huge lead, but turnovers kept it from growing even larger, and ultimately cost them the game.

Instead of holding a four touchdown lead at halftime, Alabama lead 24-7. It was still a sizeable lead, but they kept the door open for an Auburn comeback.

Quarterback Greg McElroy was 12-13 for 159 yards and two touchdowns before sitting in the second half.

Running back Mark Ingram lead the Tide with 86 yards and a touchdown, and three other rushers also found the end zone.

Wide receiver Julio Jones finished with 86 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

The Crimson Tide head into the season finale, the Iron Bowl, which will pit them against undefeated Auburn.

It’s always tough to play at LSU, but the Crimson Tide thought they would have too much firepower for the offensively-challenged Tigers.

Quarterback Greg McElroy played pretty well, throwing for 223 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

However, Alabama never really got its vaunted running game going, something that has been an issue off and on throughout the season.

Mark Ingram finished with just 88 yards on the ground while Trent Richardson was not really a factor.

Alabama carried just a 13-10 lead into the locker room, but head coach Nick Saban lit a fire under his team at halftime.

The defense came out in the second half and shut out Tennessee while the running game got untracked.

Running back Trent Richardson finished with 119 yards rushing and a touchdown while Mark Ingram approached the 100-yard mark and scored twice.

The Crimson Tide remain in the national championship hunt despite one loss because of their brutal schedule.

Jones will have surgery on the injury and could miss anywhere from just a few days to a few weeks.

Alabama can’t afford to lose their star wide receiver for any period of time given the unrelenting SEC schedule.

After last week’s loss, the Crimson Tide know they must win out to have any chance to climb back into the national championship race.

The good news is that Alabama does have a relentless ground game to lean on without Jones in the fold.

For the second time in three weeks, Alabama got off to a terrible start and fell behind by a lot heading into halftime.

You simply can’t keep playing catch-up on the road, especially against quality SEC opponents. It will eventually catch up to you.

Give Alabama credit for being able to tie the game up in the third quarter, but South Carolina wouldn’t go away.

They scored two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter, giving Alabama their first loss in two years.