There may be a first-year coach in Tuscaloosa, but that doesn’t mean the expectation has dramatically changed, Paul Finebaum says.

The SEC Network analyst, who appeared on AL.com’s Beat Everyone podcast, made it clear that if Alabama doesn’t make the new expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, there’s no way to label Kalen DeBoer’s first year a success.

“I think Alabama will always be strong,” he said on the podcast. “Would this season be a bust if Alabama doesn’t make the playoff? The answer is emphatically yes. I don’t think there is any way you can look at it differently. Unlike previous years, Alabama is not expected to win a national championship.

“This year, I think Alabama fans expect them to make the playoffs. I don’t think Kalen DeBoer has to win, but he fails to make the playoffs, I think his tenure is going to start on a rocky note.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.