Alabama’s playoff aspirations are over, as the Crimson Tide was seeded No. 13 in the final College Football Playoff ranking Sunday and just missed out on the 12-team field.
The team’s chances took a fatal blow after No. 17 Clemson pulled off a 34-31 win over No. 8 SMU in the ACC championship, giving the Tigers an auto bid thanks to the new CFP format. The close Clemson win was the last thing Crimson Tide fans wanted, as an SMU win would’ve essentially guaranteed Alabama a playoff spot, while a Clemson blowout win would’ve made it an easy decision to put the Crimson Tide in over SMU.
The playoff committee responded accordingly, as SMU only dropped to the No. 11 seed in the rankings, while Alabama found itself at No. 13 as the first team out of the playoff picture.
Ultimately, the three losses were too much to overcome for the Crimson Tide
“The way SMU played in that ACC championship, almost getting the victory, they deserved the edge,“ CFP committee chair Warde Manuel said.
Some fans argued that despite the three losses, the Crimson Tide should’ve made the playoff over SMU. Alabama went 3-1 against Top 25-ranked teams this season and had an ESPN strength of schedule rank of No. 18. In contrast, SMU went 0-2 against Top 25 teams and had the No. 60 toughest schedule.
Due to the loss in the ACC championship, SMU and Miami had similar playoff resumes. Neither team had a single ranked win on the season and lost to every ranked team they played, with two losses each. But Miami was No. 14 and below Alabama in the final playoff rankings, while SMU was at No. 11 and above the Crimson Tide.
From the start of the week, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne felt strongly that the ACC didn’t deserve two playoff bids.
“Strength of schedule matters,” Byrne said in a post on X. “Not all schedules and conferences are created equal.”
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban said it wasn’t a good message for SMU to get into the CFP with the “weak” schedule and no ranked wins, and it was something the committee should have valued.
“I do think that strength of schedule and what teams you beat and how many good teams you beat speaks volumes about what kind of team you’re capable of being,” Saban said. “I don’t think we want to do anything in this playoff situation that’s going to enhance people not to play a tough schedule.”
However, the playoff committee felt otherwise, and SMU now has a chance to win it all, while Alabama and DeBoer will be unable to capture a national championship this season and continue the dominance that Saban helped create. His Alabama teams made the CFP in eight of 10 seasons.
Instead of another playoff trip, the team will play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan in what will be a rematch of last year’s CFP semifinal.
The game will be New Year’s Eve at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
