It may not have been pretty the entire way, but the Alabama Crimson Tide are through to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, and Kalen DeBoer is the first coach to ever win a CFP game with two different programs. A first-round victory doesn’t quite live up to the standard for a program that claims 18 national championships, but Alabama isn’t done yet.
So, as the Rose Bowl matchup with Indiana looms, let’s reset the playoff and power ranking the seven other teams remaining in the field.
1. Ohio State, No. 2 seed, 12-1
Indiana went head-to-head with Ohio State and beat the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game, but I’m still a bit reluctant to give the Hoosiers the No. 1 spot in the power rankings, especially after Stephen Daley’s injury, which will keep the defensive end out for the CFP.
Ohio State has too many difference-makers on both sides of the ball to bet on any other team to win it all.
2. Indiana, No. 1 seed, 13-0
Indiana isn’t loaded with five-star talent, but the Hoosiers have talent all over the roster and are the most well-coached team in the country. The run fits from Bryant Haines’s defense against Ohio State were teach-tape, and no team has been able to spread out a unit that loves to play base 4-3 and hit explosives in the passing game. Maybe that team will be Alabama in the Rose Bowl, but even then, you still have to outduel the Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback.
3. Oregon, No. 5 seed, 12-1
It may seem like a stretch to have three Big Ten teams ahead of anyone in the SEC, but the Ducks are No. 3 in the country in adjusted EPA/play, only behind Ohio State and Toledo, and their only loss is to Indiana.
A Dan Lanning-coached team will always be strong on the defensive side of the ball, and for the Ducks, that starts on the interior of the defensive line with Bear Alexander and A’Mauri Washington. Then, offensive coordinator Will Stein puts opposing defenses in a bind with his usage of 12-personnel. Get big to stop the run, and they’ll burn you in the passing game; stay small to cover, and they’ll run it down your throat. Pick your poison.
4. Georgia, No. 3 seed, 12-1
Breaking news: Kirby Smart figured out his defense. It’s not a shock that after some early-season struggles with a lackluster pass-rush, the two-time national champion got that unit to play its best ball down the stretch.
Smart’s offense, though, is limited by its quarterback. Gunner Stockton is excellent when he can pick his matchup in man coverage and let his receivers go win, but if he’s forced to read through his progressions from the pocket, he’s in trouble. Alabama beat the Bulldogs once, and though it was ugly in the SEC Title Game, the Crimson Tide would have more than a puncher's chance in a rubber match.
5. Texas Tech, No. 4 seed, 12-1
Alabama’s most pronounced issue has been its run game, but the Tide’s offensive line hasn’t been particularly great in pass protection either. That would be a problem against Texas Tech. Oklahoma’s defensive line is one of the best in the country, but even the Sooners don’t have the pass-rush pop that the Red Raiders boast with David Bailey, Romello Height, A.J. Holmes Jr., and Lee Hunter. A one-dimensional offense isn’t going to fare well against that foursome.
6. Miami, No. 10 seed, 11-2
Carson Beck has real limitations against a good pass defense that can get some pressure on him. That will make things tough for the Hurricanes against Ohio State in the quarterfinals. However, like Texas Tech, Miami has an elite edge rusher duo with Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor.
At times this year, Miami has looked like a team capable of winning it all, but the lows are too low from Beck and the rest of the offense to trust the Canes to win three more games this postseason.
7. Ole Miss, No. 6 seed, 12-1
As they did in Week 2 with Lane Kiffin at the helm, the Rebels still rolled Tulane behind Pete Golding in the first round of the College Football Playoff. However, there’s far too much instability in Oxford to trust Ole Miss in the CFP. Not to mention a shaky run defense that didn’t seem to get better with Golding taking on head coaching duties as well as his defensive coordinator responsibilities.