Could Alabama Still Make the College Football Playoff?

Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban leads his team onto the field against Auburn at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Saturday, Nov 26, 2022.

Alabama has finished their regular season on a high note, capping off a roller coaster of a season with a 49-27 victory over Auburn in the Iron Bowl to end the year 10-2. It’s no secret that this team is far from the best that Nick Saban has ever had, but realistically, what are the chances that they could still sneak their way into the final four of college football?

Well, in short, the chances are pretty slim. Tonight’s playoff rankings release will be extremely telling as to whether or not the Crimson Tide have a real shot or not. After their beatdown at home against Michigan, most expect Ohio State not to drop out of the top five and remain the placeholder team to get in if USC (who will be #4) were to lose their conference championship game.

At this point, Georgia and Michigan have to be considered locks, and TCU is on the brink as well. Unless they were to get their doors blown off by Kansas State in the Big-12 Championship, TCU will likely be in. So basically, Alabama really has to hope the committee throws them a bone and drops Ohio State to #6 after an embarrassing home defeat to their rival.

If Alabama is at #6 as expected, then USC must lose and TCU must lose convincingly. If Alabama were to be at #5 this evening, then only one of these things needs to happen. Essentially, the chances are not very good for Nick Saban’s group, but they aren’t at 0% just yet either.