The College Football Playoff selection committee holds strong with its controversial stance on Alabama in latest rankings

Alabama stands tall at No. 10 ahead of the Iron Bowl matchup this weekend.

Josh Taylor — Washington Commanders News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
© David Leong-Imagn Images

The Alabama Crimson Tide had a bounce-back victory over Eastern Illinois after losing to Oklahoma, sparking a big debate about its new ranking.

A week later, the College Football Playoff selection committee is standing firm in its stance on Alabama, despite its tough schedule and impressive resume. Alabama remains ranked as the No. 10 team in the playoff rankings as it heads into the Iron Bowl matchup on the road against Auburn this weekend.

The College Football Playoff selection committee criticized Alabama’s rushing offense, yet the Crimson Tide ran the ball at will against Eastern Illinois. It obviously wasn’t enough as they faced a lesser opponent, and Notre Dame blew out Syracuse.

Notre Dame remains as the No. 9 team, despite Alabama having a better strength of record and strength of schedule. Luckily, Miami is still behind both of them at No. 11, and Alabama has its path to both the SEC Championship and a sure lock in the College Football Playoffs. Just like last week, what everyone else does in their games means nothing; you just need to win your own games and show you belong.

Alabama has to take care of business

Now that Alabama knows where it stands before the Iron Bowl, there’s no more wondering. The Crimson Tide just needs to take care of its own business and not worry about the rest. A dominant road win in the Iron Bowl would be an impressive addition to its resume, despite Auburn’s record. Everyone knows this can be a trap game anytime it’s played in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Despite distractions from coaching rumors, players are locked in for the matchup, and they say the coaching staff is too. An Iron Bowl win also punches a ticket to the SEC Championship for Alabama, which can strengthen its chances to make the playoffs even more.

The College Football Playoff selection committee puts a lot of weight on conference champions and championship game appearances. That’s something they couldn’t take away from Alabama, despite the rest of the harsh criticism.

We aren’t sure what a win against Auburn and a loss in the SEC Championship would do for their playoff rankings with three losses, but first things first: it has to win the Iron Bowl convincingly.

Related Articles