An interesting graphic appeared on Wednesday via ESPN, comparing the resumes of both Alabama and Utah for the College Football Playoff.
If one lets national media tell the story, the Crimson Tide would need to handle Auburn convincingly and both have Utah and Oklahoma lose to slide into the fourth spot.
While he has struggled with defeating the Tigers on the road (when it’s ranked), Nick Saban expects his program to make a huge statement this weekend.
Upon looking at the graphic, it appears as though ESPN favors Alabama over Utah.
We’ve heard from @SethWalder, how would you rank these two teams? pic.twitter.com/fYcd84lrwT
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) November 26, 2019
Both teams carry a 10-1 record; however, the Tide has the better strength of record, FPI rank and remaining strength of schedule rank than the Utes. Utah’s only loss came to the University of Southern California, of which the CFP committee recently moved into the top-25.
Alabama, on the other hand, fell by five (46-41) to top-ranked LSU in a game that featured an epic second half comeback from the Tide.
If it gets one defensive stop, the matchup could have easily gone the other way.
The Utes will face Colorado (3-5) on Saturday and at home and despite its record, the masses saw Georgia stumble at home to a 4-7 group in South Carolina.
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Does the Tide need a loss from Utah to make the playoff?
Answers to this question may vary, but everything starts with a win over Auburn.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
