SI:AM | Alabama Earns Controversial Playoff Bid for Second Time in Three Years

Bama looked terrible in Saturday’s loss to Georgia, but the committee ignored the downward trend and awarded the Tide a spot in the 12-team field.

Alabama will be participating in the College Football Playoff for the ninth time in the tournament’s 12-year history. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Too bad the Chiefs can’t rely on a committee to award them a playoff spot. 

In today’s SI:AM: 
🏆 CFP field announced
🏈 Big win for Jaguars
⚾ Winter meetings preview

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Bama in, Notre Dame out

It’s beginning to feel like the College Football Playoff format has a secret rule that grants an automatic bid to Alabama. 

This year marks the 12th edition of the CFP, and the ninth time that the Crimson Tide will be participating—even though many people believe their spot should have gone to someone else. 

Alabama was blown out in Saturday’s SEC championship game against Georgia, 28–7, and was held to just 209 yards of total offense, its lowest output of the season. The Tide managed a paltry negative three rushing yards, the second time in program history that they went backwards on the ground. (They totaled minus-45 rushing yards in the 1968 Gator Bowl against Missouri, although bowl statistics were not officially recorded until 2002.)

It was another disappointing result for Alabama, which hasn’t played like a playoff-caliber team since beating Tennessee on Oct. 18. Since then, the Tide escaped with a last-minute win against South Carolina, trudged past LSU in its first game after firing Brian Kelly, lost to Oklahoma, beat FCS Eastern Illinois and sweated out a tight win over a subpar Auburn team. The total dud against Georgia should have been the final data point the CFP committee needed to decide that the Tide weren’t worthy of a spot in the field. Instead, Alabama squeaked into the final field of 12 at the expense of Notre Dame. It was a situation reminiscent of when the committee chose a one-loss Alabama team over undefeated ACC champion Florida State for the final spot in the four-team playoff in 2023. 

While the committee likes to talk about how it doesn’t want to punish teams for losing conference championship games, that’s an incomplete view of the situation. Losing a conference title game shouldn’t drop Alabama down to the tier of three-loss teams, but the committee should use it as another data point when comparing the Tide to other teams that suffered two losses in the regular season. A loss to Georgia shouldn’t have been disqualifying in and of itself, but a noncompetitive blowout loss that continued a downward trend is exactly the sort of result that should cause the committee to reevaluate Alabama’s case. 

“We evaluated all of those conference championship games,” CFP selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek explained on ESPN’s selection show. “And felt like, in the end, regardless of Alabama’s performance yesterday, their body of work in those first 12 games where they probably had the best win, arguably this season, winning at No. 3 Georgia, having to win against Vanderbilt, wins against Tennessee as well, their strength of schedule was the highest in the top 11.

“And we felt like, in spite of their performance yesterday in the conference championship, they deserved to stay in that nine spot.”

You have to feel bad for Notre Dame. The Irish got off to a brutal start this season, losing their first two games to Miami and Texas A&M by a combined four points, before turning things around and reeling off 10 straight wins. They had a perfectly reasonable case for inclusion in the 12-team field but won’t have a chance to repeat last year’s trip to the national championship game. In fact, Notre Dame’s season is over. The team decided not to participate in a bowl game after being left out of the playoff. 

Alabama’s inclusion in the field may have been controversial, but it at least gives fans someone to root against in what should be an entertaining playoff. The Tide are set for a rematch against Oklahoma in the first round, in Norman on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. ET. The other first-round matchups are No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M (noon ET on Dec. 20), No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss (3:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 20) and No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon (7:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 20). 

The best of Sports Illustrated

The Chiefs’ playoff hopes are dwindling after a home loss to the Texans. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

• In his Week 14 takeaways, Albert Breer explains how coach Liam Coen has pushed Jacksonville into the AFC South driver’s seat.
• Sunday’s loss exposed how ineffective the Chiefs’ championship formula has become, and Matt Verderame outlines the hard choices looming in Kansas City.
• After yet another muddled ruling wiped out a touchdown, Conor Orr makes the case that officiating is becoming one of the league’s biggest competitive issues.
• Pat Forde notes that, while BYU’s stumble rewrote the board, a blowout loss didn’t hurt Alabama, exposing just how erratic the College Football Playoff committee’s process truly is.
• Bryan Fischer maps out the 2025 playoff under both 16- and 24-team proposed formats, revealing how different the postseason could look.
• Tim Capurso breaks down the six big questions that will shape a pivotal week in Orlando as MLB’s offseason machinery finally kicks into high gear.
• LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil tells Bob Harig what worked and what didn’t in his first year on the job, admitting to one glaring disappointment that has hung over the league.

The top five…

… things I saw yesterday: 
5. A really nice goal by the Canadiens’ Lane Hutson. 
4. An effortless leaping touchdown catch by Puka Nacua. 
3. C.J. Stroud’s movement in the pocket and accurate throw on a crucial third down in the fourth quarter. 
2. Texans safety Jalen Pitre’s interception, where he tipped the ball to himself. (Pitre also had a huge but totally clean hit later in the game.)
1. A step-back dagger from LeBron James.