Where Alabama stands in the penultimate CFP rankings

Alabama moved up a spot in the College Football Playoff rankings but ultimately saw its playoff hopes take a hit Tuesday night. The Crimson Tide climbed to No. 6 in the rankings but is still behind No. 5 Ohio State, making it trickier to move into the top four this weekend.

Georgia remained at the top spot while Michigan moved up to No. 2 after blowing out Ohio State. No. 3 TCU and No. 4 Southern California currently hold the other two playoff spots. Despite remaining behind Ohio State, Alabama was able to move up a spot thanks to LSU’s upset loss to Texas A&M. The Tigers dropped nine places to No. 14.

Alabama will be hoping for upsets this weekend but might still find itself on the outside looking in when the dust settles.

Southern California will play No. 11 Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday. A loss should be enough to drop the Trojans below Alabama, but the Crimson Tide will be rooting for a Utah blowout for good measure.

Neither the SEC Championship Game between Georgia and LSU nor the Big Ten Championship Game between Michigan and Purdue hold much meaning for Alabama as the Bulldogs and Wolverines figure to be locks for the playoff regardless of the outcomes.

Things could get interesting if TCU loses the Big 12 Championship Game to No. 10 Kansas State. However, the committee would still have a tough decision to make as to whether it would take a one-loss TCU or a two-loss Alabama. No two-loss team has ever made the playoff, much less one that didn’t win its conference title.

Because Alabama and Ohio State don’t play this weekend, the Crimson Tide won’t be able to jump ahead of the Buckeyes. That means Alabama will need both Southern California and TCU to lose with the latter coming in a convincing manner.

Alabama has two ranked wins in No. 20 Texas and No. 24 Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide’s two losses came by a combined 4 points as it fell on the road to a pair of current top-15 teams in No. 7 Tennessee and No. 14 LSU.

Ohio State’s 45-23 home defeat to Michigan is a black mark on its resume. However, the Buckeyes’ one-loss record paired with ranked wins over No. 21 Notre Dame and No. 8 Penn State proved more attractive to the committee.

Alabama is currently the highest-ranked SEC team outside of the playoff picture which puts it in line to play in the Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31 in New Orleans.