Paul Finebaum couldn’t soften Alabama’s 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt on Sunday in Nashville.

“This is the worst loss I’ve ever seen by a quality Alabama team,” the SEC Network analyst told The Matt Barrie Show on Sunday. “I’ve seen bad Alabama teams lose, but I’ve never seen a great Alabama team lose like this.

“It’s now sending shockwaves through the Alabama ecosystem. For all the good we felt a week ago, the questions lingering in the crevices of Alabama fans’ minds are starting to surface.

Finebaum blames one person above all others.

“Nick Saban would never have lost a game like that,” Finebaum said Sunday morning on “SportsCenter.” “He did lose to Louisiana-Monroe his freshman year, but he had a 6-7 team that he inherited. … He had a .500 team that year.

‘But you know something? I’m going to blame this game on Nick Saban. … Remember what Nick Saban said two weeks ago? He said the only place to play in the SEC that isn’t tough is Vanderbilt. That was on the notice board. They played it all week.”

Sedrick Alexander ran for two touchdowns, Randon Fontenette scored on a pick-6 and Diego Pavia defeated Heisman Trophy candidate Jalen Milroe as Vanderbilt stunned Alabama for the Commodores’ first victory over the nation’s top-ranked team.

Vanderbilt entered Saturday having lost all 60 games against the top five AP teams. The Commodores had not beaten Alabama on the field in forty years. They snapped a 23-game skid, giving coach Clark Lea the biggest win ever for his alma mater.

Alabama had just risen to the top of the AP Top 25 after an emotional win over Georgia.

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