Alabama football was written off from an opportunity to compete for the College Football Playoff after suffering an early season defeat to the Texas Longhorns in week two.
Since then, the Crimson Tide has been a different team.
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The execution has been better on offense and defensively, Alabama is arguably the best second-half team in the nation. Nick Saban’s group is 9-1, including 7-0 in Southeastern Conference action. Alabama captured an SEC Western Division title after beating Kentucky last week. It needs help from other teams to lose, but the Tide’s odds to get into the CFP are increasing.
According to Bet MGM, Alabama is tied with Ohio State for the seventh-best odds to make the playoff.
Alabama, standing at +1400 odds, is behind Washington, Oregon, Georgia, Michigan, and Florida State for the playoff.
ESPN will unveil the new CFP rankings Tuesday night. If it has Georgia at No. 1, a victory in the SEC Championship Game should propel the Crimson Tide into the playoff. For now, Alabama needs more than winning out its schedule to make the CFP.
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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.
