Alabama football should never have been in a situation where it needed scenarios and chaos to make the College Football Playoff, yet it has an opportunity to backdoor its way into the 12-team dance.
The Crimson Tide handled business versus Auburn last week and got help from Clemson and Miami losing.
Alabama is ranked at No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Poll.
New rankings from the CFP Committee will be released on Tuesday ahead of conference championship week. The Tide is not competing for a Southeastern Conference title, but a loss for an Atlantic Coast Conference team in its conference title game opens the door for Alabama to get into the playoff.
Media pundits have started the conversation about the Tide needs Southern Methodist University (SMU) to beat the Clemson Tigers in the ACC Championship Game for Alabama to get in.
Tom Luginbill of ESPN was on The Next Round on Monday detailing the scenario for the Tide to make the CFP. He agrees that the Tide needs SMU to win this week.
What has to happen in order for @AlabamaFTBL to make the College Football Playoff? pic.twitter.com/bedZXAo8lg
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) December 2, 2024
The debate the committee will have is between Alabama and South Carolina. South Carolina is ranked #13 with a 9-3 record and has quality wins over Texas A&M and Clemson. The Gamecocks finished its regular season on six-game winning streak.
Alabama has the same record as the Gamecocks, but it defeated South Carolina in the head-to-head matchup.
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The Tide earned a 27-25 victory over the Gamecocks on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama has quality wins over Georgia, LSU, South Carolina, and Missouri. Three of the four teams are currently ranked in the top 25.
Alabama also has quality losses to a ranked Tennessee, a Vanderbilt team that is bowl-eligible, and an Oklahoma team that is bowl-eligible.
We will see how the CFP Committee feels on Tuesday, but Luginbill has Alabama in if SMU wins the ACC title.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
