Nobody else has had the burden of being number one week in and week out.

The Single Biggest Reason Alabama Should be in the Playoffs

By: Larry Burton

There are perhaps many reasons why Alabama should be in the College Football Playoffs. There are also compelling reasons for other teams not currently in the top four to also make the playoffs. But one thing is absolutely, positively and singularly Alabama’s most favorable reason to be in the playoffs.

No other team this season has had the huge burden that Alabama has borne all season long, from preseason to their last game. That burden is being the number one team in the nation, (with a one week exception when they were number two) and no other team has been the odds on favorite to win the national championship from preseason until now but Alabama.

When you have that kind of bullseye on your back, you get everybody’s A game. You become the most important game of the year to the team you play every week because they know that knocking off number one would make their season, get them an unbelievable amount of publicity, not to mention place them higher in the rankings.

Alabama had no endure that all season long. No other team had to carry that cross but Georgia for one week and they were promptly beaten the next week putting Alabama back at one again.

Considering going into this weekend’s conference championship game that there is only one undefeated team in the playoff hunt, can any other one loss team say they’ve been the nation’s leader for 95% of the season, had to endure that target on their back and more? Are you saying that the polls and college football playoff committee were wrong by having Alabama as the best team in the nation all year and now they’re not even one of the top four?

Being number one for basically the whole season carries a very high price and no one else has come close to having to pay it.

Larry has been published in almost every media outlet for college sports and now primarily writes here for Touchdown Alabama. Follow Larry on Twitter for inside thoughts and game time comments at https://twitter.com/LBSportswriter

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