In the end, no amount of chaos or campaigning could help Alabama overcome its two losses. For the second time in four years, the Crimson Tide will miss out on the College Football Playoff as it was ranked fifth in Sunday’s final rankings.
Georgia will enter the playoff as the nation’s top team followed by fellow undefeated conference champion Michigan. TCU remained at No. 3 despite suffering an overtime loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game Saturday. Ohio State grabbed the final playoff spot, sliding into No. 4 after Southern California lost to Utah in Friday’s Pac-12 Championship Game.
Saturday night, Nick Saban made multiple television appearances providing a final pitch for Alabama's playoff hopes. The head coach urged the committee to ignore win-loss records and take the nation's best four teams, a group he felt the Crimson Tide should be a part of.
“What I would say to the committee or anyone else is, ‘If we played any of these teams that are on the edge or getting in, would we be the underdog, or would we be the favorite?” Saban said during a halftime appearance on FOX's Big Ten Championship Game telecast. “I think if you can answer that question and the goal is to get the best teams in, then you would say they belong in there.”
Alabama’s two losses came by a combined four points as it fell on the road to then-No. 6 Tennessee and then-No. 10 LSU. Both defeats occurred on the final play of the game as the Tennesee beat the Alabam, 52-49, on a last-second field goal, while LSU downed the Crimson Tide, 32-31, on a two-point conversion in overtime.
Ohio State has just one loss, but it came in a 45-23 home blowout to Michigan last weekend. TCU will also be entering the playoff coming off a loss as it suffered a 31-28 overtime defeat to Kansas State in Saturday's Big 12 Championship Game.
“I think you show vulnerability when you get beat badly at the end of the season," Saban said Saturday night. "Our team has played better at the end of the season.”
This marks the first time the playoff will feature multiple teams who didn’t win their conference championships. Georgia won last year’s national title after losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. The Crimson Tide won the national title during the 2017 season despite not playing for the SEC championship that year.
The New Year’s Six Bowls are set to be announced at 1:30 p.m. CT. Alabama will be selected by the Sugar Bowl as the SEC’s top team outside of the playoff. The Crimson Tide will play Big 12 Champion Kansas State.
