The national media and opposing fans screaming about perceived "Alabama bias" is certainly nothing new. Even when it got disproved last year when the College Football Playoff committee picked SMU over the Crimson Tide for the final playoff spot, it's always just around the corner waiting to be used as an excuse for when Alabama earns a spot better than what's in the minds of the haters.
But the latest column by Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde is a new one for me. The veteran columnist is, by his own words, "pre-annoyed" by the College Football Playoff committee's handling of Alabama.
That is, he's annoyed about Alabama bias before the Alabama "bias" has even happened. Shouldn't that tell you all you need to know about the national media's anti-Alabama agenda?
They've been praying for the Crimson Tide's downfall since before Nick Saban retired. And they were sure they were getting it after last season's 9-4 season and the season-opening loss to Florida State. Now that Kalen DeBoer's team has responded with seven consecutive victories, it's time to move the goalposts.
"The Crimson Tide are 7–1 and have beaten four currently ranked teams—Georgia on the road, Vanderbilt, Missouri on the road and Tennessee," Forde writes. "Nobody in the country has a better résumé of wins.
"But can we talk about that loss? The one by two touchdowns to a Florida State team that is now in 15th place in the ACC? If that’s somehow not a bad loss for the Tide, then it must be a good win for 8–1 Virginia, 6–2 Miami and 7–2 Pittsburgh, which beat the Seminoles. The latter two did it in the same stadium where the Seminoles handled the Crimson Tide."
Nobody is ignoring Alabama's loss, Pat. It's the only thing keeping the Crimson Tide from being a runaway No. 1. Because, by your own admission, no team in the country has a better collection of wins than Alabama does. That has to count for something. Who you play matters - it doesn't stop and start with a win-loss record.
Pat Forde has an anti-Alabama agenda that is much more prevalent than any 'Alabama bias'
Forde is an excellent writer. I've been reading his columns for years. But he's always snuck in some subtle and not-so-subtle shade toward Alabama and the entire SEC. Most of the time, it is easily ignored, but when you are getting "pre-annoyed" by something that hasn't even happened yet, what exactly are we doing here?
Alabama is 4th in the AP and Coaches Polls. They'll probably be 4th in the initial College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night, too. Some think they could jump a whopping one spot to No. 3 over one of the unbeatens ahead of them in the other polls.
Maybe that happens. Maybe it doesn't. If it does, feel free to scream "Alabama bias" and ignore the reasoning for why the Crimson Tide might jump ahead of others. Who you beat and who you play has to matter, regardless of the logo.
Alabama navigated a ridiculous stretch perfectly. That deserves praise. The loss matters, too, but only those with an agenda to push against the Crimson Tide believe it should be the end-all, be-all.
Forde knows better. But Alabama is still Alabama, and hating on the Crimson Tide drives traffic. Even if that hate is currently based on an imaginary scenario.