College football rivalry week delivered on all fronts — especially for the Alabama Crimson Tide. After suffering a devastating loss to unranked Oklahoma the week prior, first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer’s team surged back with a 14-point Iron Bowl win last Saturday. The 28-14 victory was crucial in improving Bama’s College Football Playoff chances, especially after the team had fallen out of contention in last week’s poll.
Alabama’s Playoff Positioning
Now, having wrapped up the regular season at fourth in the SEC with a 5-3 conference record (9-3 overall), the Crimson Tide re-entered the 12-team CFP field Tuesday in the fifth edition of the new-and-improved playoff standings. This turnaround is a testament to the team’s resilience and ability to bounce back from adversity.
Will Alabama make the playoffs?
No team with three losses has ever made the college football postseason bracket. However, this year is different, as the modern college football postseason has expanded to feature 12 teams. The Tide slotted in at No. 11 in the rankings ahead of championship weekend, sandwiched between Miami and Boise State.
The Canes boast a better record than Bama on paper, but the nature of The U’s losses — recent one-score drops to unranked Georgia Tech and Syracuse — validate the committee’s decision to place DeBoer’s squad safely inside the cutoff for now. Meanwhile, No. 12 Miami’s bubble has almost certainly burst, as the Big 12 champion is poised to leapfrog the Hurricanes for the final playoff spot.
Understanding Alabama’s Losses
Alabama is the only three-loss team in contention at the moment, with Tennessee, Ohio State, and Georgia (plus the Big 12 championship teams) owning two losses each. The remaining teams all harbor one loss, barring 12-win Oregon at the top. While the Tide’s losses may have seemed egregious at the time, they aren’t as bad as they seem in hindsight.
The unranked Commodores, who beat Bama in early October, finished the season at 6-6 with one-score losses to No. 5 Texas and No. 7 Mizzou. Tennessee managed to take down the Tide, 24-17, two weeks later, but it’s worth noting that the Vols just missed out on an SEC championship game appearance, finishing third in the conference with the same record as the Bulldogs in second.
The only inexplicable loss for the Tide is its 24-3 defeat to Oklahoma two weekends ago. In the end, this Crimson Tide team was just two scores away from finishing the season with one loss instead of three. This context is crucial as the committee evaluates Alabama’s playoff prospects.
Latest on Alabama’s Chances
Here is the latest on the Tide’s chances after a strong win over Auburn in rivalry week. As we look ahead, the excitement builds. Will Alabama’s playoff dreams come true? The stakes are high, and the competition is fierce, but the Tide has shown they can rise to the occasion.
College Football Playoff rankings 2024
Who is in the College Football Playoff?
| Ranking | Team | Record |
| 1 | Oregon | 12-0 |
| 2 | Texas | 11-1 |
| 3 | Penn State | 11-1 |
| 4 | Notre Dame | 11-1 |
| 5 | Georgia | 10-2 |
| 6 | Ohio State | 10-2 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 10-2 |
| 8 | SMU | 11-1 |
| 9 | Indiana | 11-1 |
| 10 | Boise State | 11-1 |
| 11 | Alabama | 9-3 |
| 12 | Miami | 10-2 |
MORE: Tracker for every FBS coaching change in 2024
First four teams out
| Ranking | Team | Record |
| 13. | Ole Miss | 9-3 |
| 14. | South Carolina | 9-3 |
| 15. | Arizona State | 10-2 |
| 16. | Iowa State | 10-2 |
Rest of the top 25
| Ranking | Team | Record |
| 17. | Clemson | 9-3 |
| 18. | BYU | 10-2 |
| 19. | Missouri | 9-3 |
| 20. | UNLV | 10-2 |
| 21. | Illinois | 9-3 |
| 22. | Syracuse | 9-3 |
| 23. | Colorado | 9-3 |
| 24. | Army | 10-1 |
| 25. | Memphis | 10-2 |
MORE: Picks against the spread for conference title games
