Here's what needs to happen for Alabama football to make the College Football Playoff

As bad as Alabama football looked last weekend in a deflating 24-3 loss to Oklahoma, I was hesitant to officially call it a playoff-eliminating defeat. On Tuesday, the playoff committee agreed with the Crimson Tide coming just outside the projected field and ranked No. 13.

Alabama is technically the 2nd team outside of the field with Arizona State, the projected Big 12 champion, jumping up. At No. 12, Clemson is the first team out. Somehow the Tigers have jumped up despite nothing noteworthy on its resume aside from a shellacking at the hands of Georgia in the season opener.

So even with three losses, Alabama is very much alive in the College Football Playoff race. Much to the chagrin of rival fans and media, and if we're being honest, a large chunk of the Crimson Tide fanbase, too.

Most don't think Alabama deserves to make the playoff. They're not wrong. But in an era where we allow 12 teams in the field, there's rarely going to be that many deserving teams year in and year out.

So while the media wants to have their undergarments in a wad over it, it's only because Alabama is Alabama. The dominance of the decade and a half of the Nick Saban era makes everyone lose their collective minds whenever the Tide gets the benefit of the doubt on anything.

What needs to happen for Alabama to make the playoff?

Alabama no longer controls its own destiny. The Tide controlled its own destiny in the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff race heading into Norman last week. A three-touchdown loss to a .500 team takes that away from you.

But it also won't take mass chaos for the Crimson Tide to have a shot at getting in. It'll take a couple of results over the final weekend of the regular season as well as conference championship weekend.

First and foremost, Alabama has to win the Iron Bowl. No other result matters if Alabama doesn't take care of business against Auburn in Bryant-Denny.

Currently, the projected field includes two ACC teams in Miami and SMU. Those teams are likely to meet in the ACC Championship Game. The only way the ACC is getting those two teams in the field is if SMU knocks off the Hurricanes. A Miami win would eliminate the Mustangs.

Alabama also needs South Carolina to knock off Clemson. With the Gamecocks close behind the Crimson Tide in the rankings, it's possible that a win over No. 12 Clemson would be enough to elevate South Carolina over Alabama. You have to hope that the Tide's head-to-head win over the Gamecocks would be enough to keep them ahead.

Those results might be enough to get the Crimson Tide into the field.

That's the most likely scenario to get Alabama in the playoff. It's not the only one, however.

Notre Dame losing on the road to 6-5 USC would be helpful. Even though it would only be the second loss for the Irish, they currently have the worst defeat among playoff contenders with their loss to Northern Illinois at home.

An Indiana loss to 1-10 Purdue, albeit unlikely, would knock the Hoosiers out of the field.

Tennessee falling to Vanderbilt could knock the Volunteers down below Alabama, too. Even though both teams would have identical 9-3 records assuming an Iron Bowl win for the Tide, the committee has already shown they aren't afraid to rank Alabama ahead of Tennessee with the same record despite the Vols holding the head-to-head edge.

The dominoes falling in place to get Alabama into the field would feel like Alabama backed its way into the field. The media would run with that narrative. But who cares? Never apologize for making the playoff. The media said the same thing in 2017 and 2011, too. Alabama won the national championship in both of those seasons. And those banners still hang.