What should Alabama football fans make of the Crimson Tide slipping to No. 3 in the AP Poll? The new No. 2 is Ohio State. Crimson Tide fans may not like the change but it is hard to fault the AP Poll voters. The Buckeyes destroyed the previously ranked No. 7 team in the poll; the Michigan State Spartans. The gap between the Buckeyes and the Crimson Tide is small, at only 14 points.
Alabama Football held firm at No. 2 in the Coaches Poll. Ohio State moved up to No. 3 in the poll, pushing Cincinnati down to No. 4. The best poll news for the Crimson Tide was Ole Miss moving up to No. 8 in both polls.
Assuming the AP voters are correct, Georgia and Ohio State are the best teams, followed by the Crimson Tide. Many Alabama football fans agree with that consensus.
Below the top three, there is little consensus. Vocal Crimson Tide fans see weaknesses in Nick Saban’s team, but they see other teams as weaker. Among the Tide faithful, there is little appreciation for Cincinnati or No. 5 ranked Notre Dame. The Crimson Tide is only seven poll points ahead of the Bearcats in the AP Poll. The Fighting Irish trail Cincinnati by 54 points.
No poll anxiety is necessary if the Crimson Tide beats Auburn as expected and takes down Georgia in the SEC Championship game. In that scenario, much to the chagrin of most of the college football world, the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs would be in the final four.
More than a few Alabama fans profess to be fine with missing the Playoffs if the Tide cannot beat Georgia. Others, perhaps driven by the ‘best four teams’ premise for the Playoffs, believe a two-loss Tide, that plays Georgia close, should make the four-team field.
The odds are not good a two-loss Tide would set a College Football Playoff precedent. But it could happen. The loser of Ohio State vs. Michigan will be bumped out. That would leave Georgia, a Big Ten team as the top seeds with Alabama, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and maybe a Big 12 team battling it out for the other two spots.
Alabama Football is elite enough at 11-2
An undefeated Cincinnati team is a near-lock for the Playoff field. That does not mean the Bearcats are better than the Crimson Tide. A majority opinion of Tide fans is that the Irish and the Cowboys are even less close to the Tide than the Bearcats.
More information is better than less. Jeff Sagarin has the top teams ranked as,
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- Michigan
- Notre Dame
- Oklahoma State
- Oklahoma
- Cincinnati
- Wisconsin
- Utah
The CFP Selection Committee looks at many data points. They are not blind to Sagarin’s algorithm.
There are only two more CFP rankings left before the final one on Selection Day. What the committee presents Tuesday night could be quite revealing.