Alabama fans react to College Football Playoff ranking in Week 12

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - NOVEMBER 11: Jalen Milroe #4 of the Alabama Crimson Tide against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field on November 11, 2023 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - NOVEMBER 11: Jalen Milroe #4 of the Alabama Crimson Tide against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field on November 11, 2023 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The Alabama Crimson Tide might have suffered one of the most costly wins of the season all the way back in Week 2. Jalen Milroe struggled and Nick Saban’s team lost 34-24 to Texas. Even now in Week 12, the Longhorns stay one spot ahead of No. 8 Alabama in the College Football Playoff rankings.

The head-to-head loss is very costly because Alabama is playing much better than Texas right now. In Week 11, Bama beat Kentucky 49-21 while Texas struggled for the second straight week. The Longhorns had to hang on to beat TCU 29-26.

Bama fans are starting to get frustrated with the committee stubbornly sticking the Crimson Tide behind the Longhorns when Texas has a worse loss and hasn’t played well in almost a month.

It’s a tough argument to win because Texas won the matchup in Tuscaloosa, but the best case to make is that Jalen Milroe is a different player and Alabama is a different team. In that game Milroe went 14/27 for 255 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He only ran for 44 yards. Now, he’s completing 65.2% of his passes and averaging 10.5 yards per attempt.

The good news for Alabama is that the path is very clear. After clinching the SEC West last week, they have a matchup with Georgia at the end of the year. That game is essentially win and in. Even if Texas wins out and takes the Big 12 crown, a win over UGA will be the most impressive thing on any team’s resume.

Georgia got the bump this week after beating Ole Miss convincingly and the Bulldogs are now No. 1, ahead of Ohio State.