NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Consider an Alabama berth in the College Football Playoff a safe bet under two conditions: 1) the Crimson Tide closes out the regular season without another loss, and 2) it doesn’t reach the SEC Championship Game. The former would be a playoff eliminator, while the latter would jeopardize the berth by requiring another win over a very formidable opponent.
That picture needs three more weeks to clear up, but so does another: would Alabama, under those circumstances, play at home or on the road in the CFP’s first round? The line between hosting and traveling is drawn between the eighth and ninth playoff seeds. The Crimson Tide, currently the CFP’s 10th-ranked team, would need to climb two more spots to play at home. But none of its its remaining opponents — FCS Mercer, 5-5 Oklahoma and 3-6 Auburn — are leapfrog opportunities. For a 10-2 Alabama team to play at Bryant-Denny Stadium in a first-round game, it’ll need some attrition among the teams ranked ahead of it.
There’s not a two-loss team ranked ahead of Alabama, so for now, it needs a deeper pool of two-loss teams that it can elbow out with its strength of schedule. An Indiana win over Ohio State on Nov. 23 would do that, as would a Georgia win over Tennessee this weekend, although the selection committee could be reticent to move Alabama ahead of UT because of its loss in Knoxville. UA fans could find themselves rooting for a Texas A&M win over Texas on Nov. 30, as well. A second loss for Texas would shine a bright light on a schedule that would do the Longhorns no favors.
GOODBREAD: Alabama football back in hunt for SEC title game, but is a berth even worth it?
AD ASSESSMENT: How is Kalen DeBoer’s first season with Alabama football going? What AD Greg Byrne thinks
Making the move
DaShawn Jones’ first big adjustment with Alabama was in transferring from Wake…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-football-home-playoff-game-022619681.html
Author : The Tuscaloosa News
Publish date : 2024-11-14 02:26:19
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
