Alabama Football: Where will the Playoff Committee rank the Tide?
On Tuesday, October 31st, the College Football Playoff Committee will release its initial playoff rankings. The Alabama Football team sits 7-1 ranked ninth in the AP Poll and eighth in the coach’s poll. Neither poll means as much to the Alabama Football team as the Playoff Poll will mean. Their ranking in the playoff poll come the end of the season will determine if the team competes for a National Championship or not.
The Alabama Football team was in the same position last year, having one loss at the initial rankings the Crimson Tide was ranked sixth one spot ahead of the eventual National Title runners-up in TCU who was undefeated at the Time. This year it’s unlikely they’ll get the favorable ranking they got last season for multiple reasons. For starters, Alabama’s lone loss last season at the time was a last-second loss on the road at Tennessee. This season Alabama’s loss came at home by ten points to a Texas team that also has a loss. Also, last season the Alabama Football team had the returning Heisman in Bryce Young at Quarterback whereas, this season Jalen Milroe hasn’t played to the level of Young.
In 2021, a one-loss Alabama team got a more favorable ranking being ranked 2 in the initial college football playoff rankings. That team edged out this year’s team having three top-15 wins whereas this season’s team has one and a victory over Tennessee who sits at 21. The 2019 team suffered its first loss in its ninth game against LSU which dropped the team to five after previously being ranked three. The last team to lose at home before the LSU loss was the 2015 team who dropped a home game to Ole Miss. That team was ranked second and dropped outside the top 10 much like this season’s Alabama football team.
This year’s Alabama team will follow a similar path to the 2021 Alabama team despite how different their rankings are at this point in the season. When Alabama lost to Texas A&M, they still controlled their destiny as this year’s team has. The 2021 team was able to handle its business the rest of the way. Should this season’s Alabama Football team follow suit it should find itself where we all hoped finding itself in Atlanta with a chance to win the SEC and find itself in the College Football Playoff.
Prediction: Alabama Football is ranked 9th in the Initial Playoff rankings
When the Playoff Committee releases its official rankings on Tuesday, I expect the Alabama Crimson Tide to remain where they stand in the AP Poll ranked ninth. Oregon is the only team I think they can jump barring a massive upset elsewhere ahead of the Crimson Tide. While ninth isn’t a great ranking for the Crimson Tide, it leaves them with everything in front of them. Second and third-ranked Michigan and Ohio State have an end of the season matchup against each other. Washington has tough tests against three ranked opponents in USC, Utah, and Oregon State. Should Alabama make it to the fifth to eighth range they’ll have a great chance to make the playoff with an SEC championship being the factor if they’ll make the playoff.
Next. Key Matchups for Alabama Vs LSU. dark
Note: Rankings Via ESPN