The Alabama Crimson Tide will find out on Sunday whether they will make the College Football Playoff despite not playing in the SEC Championship game. The team failed to qualify for the conference title game and saw Georgia defeat Texas in overtime to win the SEC championship. Additionally, Alabama’s hopes of a lock-in to the Playoff were ended when Clemson won the ACC Championship.
The Tide’s fate is now in the hands of the College Football Playoff selection committee. Alabama’s athletics director, Greg Byrne, made a case for the team to be included in the Playoff. In a statement, he highlighted the strength of their schedule, saying, “Not all schedules and conferences are created equal.” He noted that six of their eight wins were against bowl-eligible teams, including some of the top teams in the SEC.
Byrne also shared a graphic showing that Alabama was ranked No. 3 in opponents’ winning percentage, No. 17 in ESPN strength of schedule, and had three wins against teams in the College Football Top 25 poll. The Tide finished the regular season with a 9-3 record.
With the Miami Hurricanes being the first team on the outside looking in, the decision is now up to the selection committee.