Last Saturday may have been incredibly frustrating for the Alabama Crimson Tide, but this team's season is far from over. At 8-2 on the season and 6-1 in SEC play, all the Crimson Tide need to do to make the College Football Playoff is to win the Iron Bowl at Auburn in two weeks, with a home date vs. Eastern Illinois sprinkled in between. A 10-2 (7-1) Alabama team will undeniably be making the playoff.
Although their chances of getting a top-four seed have taken quite the hit following the two-point home loss to Oklahoma, Kalen DeBoer and his team still have a ton to play for. This team is well-coached and has enough talent to run the gauntlet this holiday season if that is what is required out of them. Of course, Alabama has to learn how to run the football with conviction to win it all this year.
So when DeBoer was asked about the latest College Football Playoff rankings, he did not offer much.
"My whole focus, and this is [the] honest-to-God truth, I mean, I didn't even see the show. I saw the rankings pop up on [the] ESPN app on my phone, took a quick look at it, and went back to work."
Here is everything DeBoer had to say during the SEC coaches teleconference call earlier in the week.
It may not seem like much, but DeBoer's response is the necessary tone-setter this program needs.
Kalen DeBoer's response to CFP rankings is exactly what Alabama needs
Alabama fell six spots from No. 4 to No. 10 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. This does not really come as much of a surprise. Teams like Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Georgia, Texas Tech, Ole Miss and Oregon were all going to be ranked ahead of them as Power Four teams with one of fewers losses. Oklahoma owning the head-to-head going to No. 8 is justified, but not Notre Dame.
As long as Alabama remains above the cut line, which will be the No. 10 seed this year, they will be making the playoff. Few teams in college football have played a schedule as arduous as the Crimson Tide have. So far this year, they have ranked wins over No. 4 Georgia, No. 14 Vanderbilt, No. 22 Missouri and No. 20 Tennessee. While the Florida State keeps looking worse, Oklahoma is still No. 8.
From a pure resume standpoint, a 10-2 Alabama team is right up there with anyone's. The Selection Committee will presumably honor the Oklahoma head-to-head, assuming the Sooners beat Missouri and LSU in its final two games. Right now, Alabama has two-plus games to worry about. Get that Eastern Illinois victory, win the Iron Bowl and you should be fine. Alabama can still make it to Atlanta.
Alabama's season will come down to the Iron Bowl this season, one that will be played on The Plains...