I was reluctant to declare Alabama football’s humiliating 24-3 loss to Oklahoma last Saturday a playoff-eliminating setback, despite how awful the team looked. The playoff committee placed the Crimson Tide No. 13 on Tuesday, agreeing that they were just outside the expected field.
With Arizona State, the predicted Big 12 champion, leaping up, Alabama is officially the second team off the field. Clemson is the first team out at No. 12. Despite having nothing significant on their CV other than a crushing defeat at the hands of Georgia in the season opener, the Tigers have somehow gone up.
Alabama is still very much in the running for the College Football Playoffs despite their three losses. To the dismay of opposing supporters, the media, and, if we’re being completely honest, a sizable portion of the Crimson Tide fan base as well.
Most people don’t believe Alabama should qualify for the playoffs. They’re not incorrect. There will rarely be that many worthy teams every year in a time when we only let 12 teams to play.
It’s only because Alabama is Alabama that the media wants to have their underwear in a wad over it. When the Tide is given the benefit of the doubt, everyone goes crazy due to the supremacy of the Nick Saban era for the last fifteen years.
Alabama is no longer in charge of its own fate. Going into Norman last week, the Tide had complete control over its own fate in the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff competition. You lose that if you lose by three touchdowns to a team that is.500.
However, the Crimson Tide will have a chance to enter without widespread disturbance. It will require a few outcomes during both the conference championship weekend and the last weekend of the regular season.
Alabama must win the Iron Bowl first and foremost. If Alabama doesn’t defeat Auburn in Bryant-Denny, then the outcome is irrelevant.
At the moment, Miami and SMU, two ACC schools, are part of the anticipated field. The ACC Championship Game is probably where the teams will face off. Only if SMU defeats the Hurricanes will the ACC be able to field those two teams. The Mustangs would be eliminated if Miami won.
In order to defeat Clemson, Alabama also needs South Carolina. A victory over No. 12 Clemson might be sufficient to move South Carolina above Alabama in the rankings, since the Gamecocks are right behind the Crimson Tide. It is your hope that the Tide’s victory over the Gamecocks will be sufficient to maintain their lead.
The Crimson Tide might be able to enter the field thanks to those outcomes. That is the best chance for Alabama to qualify for the playoffs. But it’s not the only one.
It would be beneficial if Notre Dame lost to USC 6-5 on the road. The Irish’s home loss to Northern Illinois presently stands as their worst defeat among playoff hopefuls, despite the fact that it would only be their second loss.
Even though it is unlikely, Indiana would be eliminated from the field if they lost to Purdue 1–10.
If Tennessee loses versus Vanderbilt, the Volunteers may also slide below Alabama. The committee has already demonstrated that they aren’t scared to rank Alabama ahead of Tennessee with the same record, even though the Vols would have the head-to-head advantage and both teams would have equal 9-3 records if the Tide won the Iron Bowl.
It would seem as though Alabama backed its way onto the field as the dominoes fell into place to get there. That storyline would be used by the media. Who cares, though? Never feel bad about qualifying for the playoffs. The identical thing was reported by the media in 2011 and 2017. In both, Alabama emerged victorious in the national championship.