Don't shoot the messenger! The source for deriding the Alabama Crimson Tide is ESPN. More precisely, it is David Hale, Adam Rittenberg, Bill Connelly, and Max Olsen.
Before the playoffs began, the quartet provided a list of the top 50 players among the 12 playoff teams. Credit them for candor about their rankings: "The criteria for our list is much like the process used by the College Football Playoff committee, insofar as we mostly made it up as we went."
Nonetheless, the list was intended to showcase the 50 players most likely to excel individually in playoff games. Alabama's number of such players was equal to that of the James Madison Dukes. Both teams had three players in the top 50.
With nine players, Ohio State had the most, followed by seven for Indiana and Oregon, and five for Miami. Georgia and Ole Miss joined the Crimson Tide with only three players on the list.
Alabama Crimson Tide players in Top 50
At No. 20, Bray Hubbard was the highest-ranked Alabama player. Ty Simpson was No. 41, and Deontae Lawson was No. 42. In the introduction to the rankings, David Hale mentioned four players the quartet would likely regret not including. Two of them were Crimson Tide players, Germie Bernard and Kadyn Proctor.
The Hoosiers in the top 50 were quarterback Fernando Mendoza (No. 1), offensive tackle Carter Smith (No. 17), wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (No. 22), safety Louis Moore (No. 28), wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (No. 32), cornerback D'Angelo Pounds (No. 34), and linebacker Aiden Fisher (No. 47).
After the first round playoff game losses, 10 of the top 50 are no longer competing. If ESPN added 10 more players now, Germie Bernard would be a slam dunk after his spectacular catch against the Oklahoma Sooners.
The original list fuels grand optimism from Indiana fans who believe the Hoosiers will be the first college football team to post a 16-0 season. It could also feed more motivation for Alabama football players to prove the college football world wrong. There will be a host of Alabama football players with a mad on, as far from a California vibe as can be.
Indiana is more than just a good team; however, if they are not prepared for a street fight, the Hoosiers will be in trouble.