If you went to church in Alabama on Sunday, you probably didn’t see as many folks in attendance. You probably saw even less crimson and orange. That’s what happens when the state’s two flagship universities both lose the day before.

But it doesn't happen often. Since 2008, the only other time Alabama and Auburn lost on the same day during the regular season was Nov. 10, 2012. That means 94 of the past 95 Sundays during football season (September through November), at least one of the two fan bases have had something to gloat about.

Let that sink in.

It’s no surprise then that the state of Alabama has dominated the SEC and the SEC West during that span. The Crimson Tide and the Tigers have played in and won five of the past six SEC title games. The lone exception was LSU in 2011, but Alabama still went on to win the national championship that year.

Ole Miss looked like a top contender to win the SEC with its performance against Alabama. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

And it shouldn’t come as a shock that the Iron Bowl has been the biggest game in college football the past six years. From 2009-12, the winner of that game won the national championship. The past two seasons, the winner either played in the BCS title game (Auburn, 2013) or played in a College Football Playoff semifinal (Alabama, 2014).

In college football, the state of Alabama has been king.

That rule, however, is about to come to an end. And no, it’s not just because both teams lost on the same fall Saturday for the first time in 1,044 days. Teams can bounce back from one loss, especially this early in the season. It’s because of how they lost and who they lost to.

For Auburn, it’s been an adventure all season. The Tigers fought off a comeback from Louisville in Week 1 and somehow escaped with a victory over FCS foe Jacksonville State in Week 2, but their deficiencies finally caught up to them this past Saturday in Baton Rouge.

Quarterback Jeremy Johnson, a potential Heisman candidate before the season, continued to turn the ball over. He now has six interceptions and one fumble lost through the first three games. The rushing attack, a Gus Malzahn trademark, was not much better. Take away a 65-yard touchdown run by Johnson, and the Tigers managed just 90 yards on the ground. And don’t even get me started on the defense, which refused to tackle Leonard Fournette.

This Auburn team was expected to compete for the SEC and the College Football Playoff. The way they’re playing, they might not even get eight wins.

It’s not as bleak at Alabama, but if not for two fourth-quarter comebacks, Ole Miss might have run the Crimson Tide out of their own stadium. The Rebels led 43-24 midway through the fourth quarter.

In running past Auburn, Brandon Harris and LSU showed that they have the talent to be considered one of the SEC's elite. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

And I understand that Alabama lost to Ole Miss a year ago and still made the playoff, but have you seen its schedule? Road trips to Georgia, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Auburn (it’s still the Iron Bowl), plus a home game against an LSU team that could easily be 7-0 at that point in the season. Don’t be surprised if the Tide finish with three losses.

What does all this mean?

It means that most of us were wrong when it came to predicting the SEC this season. But more importantly, it signals the end of that stranglehold the state of Alabama has had on the SEC over the past six years. The West and the conference in general are wide open again.

Maybe this is the year Ole Miss finally breaks through and wins the SEC. The Rebels certainly looked like championship contenders this past Saturday.

Maybe Les Miles wins another conference title. LSU is the only other West team to reach Atlanta since Arkansas in 2006, and Miles looks to have a team more than capable of doing it again this season.

Or maybe it will be SEC newcomer Texas A&M. The Aggies and Johnny Manziel took the conference by storm in their first year, but it’s been three years and still no division title. After an impressive Week 1 win against Arizona State, will this be the year they break through?

And how about Georgia? Are the stars not aligning perfectly for coach Mark Richt? Not only is the East down this year, but now with Alabama and Auburn flawed, the Bulldogs can make a strong case for best team in the conference. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, they are favored in the rest of their games and have a 32 percent chance to win the SEC.

Sunday was a good day for the other SEC contenders. But in Alabama, it marked the beginning of the end for the state’s reign over the conference.