Nick Saban's pitch to CFP committee: 'Let’s get the best teams in'
Nick Saban is on the campaign trail ahead of Sunday’s College Football Playoff selection show.
No. 6 Alabama entered the weekend needing a bit of help to move into one of the four playoff positions. The Crimson Tide might have received that as No. 4 Southern California was blown out by No. 11 Utah in Friday’s Pac-12 Championship Game before No. 3 TCU suffered an overtime loss to No. 10 Kansas State in Saturday’s Big 12 Championship Game.
Although, while Alabama should have no problem climbing ahead of USC in Sunday’s final rankings, a two-loss Crimson Tide will have a harder time jumping one-loss TCU or Ohio State for the final playoff spot. During a halftime appearance on FOX’s Big Ten Championship Game telecast, Saban urged the committee not to get too caught up in records and matrix but rather choose who it feels are the nation's best four teams.
“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. “I think if you can anwer that question and the goal is to get the best teams in, then you would say they belong in there.”
No two-loss team has ever made the College Football Playoff, much less one that didn’t win its conference title. That being said, 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 came 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.
Following the loss to LSU, Alabama went on the road to beat then-No.11 Ole Miss before blowing out Austin Peay and Auburn at home. Meanwhile, Ohio State suffered a 45-23 home defeat to Michigan last weekend, while TCU would also be entering the playoff coming off a loss it was selected.
“I think you show vulnerability when you get beat badly at the end of the season," Saban said. "Our team has played better at the end of the season.”
When asked, Saban declined to answer who he would choose for this year's playoff. However, he remained adamant that Alabama should be included in the list.
“When we talk about one-loss teams vs. two-loss teams, you’re looking just at metrics rather than circumstances that surrounded the games that were won or lost. I think that is a huge impact on who’s the best team,” Saban said. “Let’s get the best teams in the game, and I think that’s everyone’s goal. There are good teams, but I think we have one of the teams that should be in because of where we are right now and the tough times we went through in the middle of the season.”
Alabama will learn its postseason fate Sunday at 11 a.m. CT when the final playoff rankings are announced on ESPN.