Kirby Smart goes to bat for Alabama amid growing concern that the Crimson Tide could be left out of the College Football Playoff
Kirby Smart believes that both teams in Atlanta should already be in the College Football Playoff.
The Iron Bowl was a must-win game for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and the team took care of business after a game-changing call from Kalen DeBoer. But just because Alabama punched its ticket to Atlanta doesn’t mean the team has a sure-fire spot in the College Football Playoff.
There is a chance the committee leaves out Alabama if it loses, since it would be the program’s third loss. But according to both DeBoer and now Kirby Smart, that shouldn’t even be a discussion.
Kirby Smart defends Alabama’s spot in College Football Playoff
“Yeah, I certainly feel that way,” said Smart via Bama Central on YouTube when asked if both teams have earned a spot in the CFP regardless of the SEC Championship game outcome. “It’s not something I like to comment on and judge. The eyes of the beholder are people who have seen people across the country. I don’t get into speculation, hypotheticals. I don’t get to truly sit back and view that.
“I don’t know how someone that does view it can measure it when… It’s hard to be objective on that and see the whole thing, the whole picture. I certainly know the level of talent of this conference, the schedules that both these two teams played.”
We could turn this article into a book on the innate flaws within the College Football Playoff bracket and the selection committee, but the bottom line should be ranking teams on who you beat, not who you lost to.
Does that Week 1 loss on the road in Tallahassee look good? Absolutely not. Should Alabama have nailed a fundamental field goal and beat the Oklahoma Sooners on Homecoming? Undoubtedly. But after that Week 1 debacle, Alabama went on a run, beating four teams ranked in the top 25.
If Alabama were to lose for a third time, it would come against the Georgia Bulldogs, a team that the Crimson Tide already has a win over. If the whole purpose is to have a competitive field with the best resumes, then Alabama has to be among the top-12 teams in the country.
Before anyone sits down in their chairs next Sunday and decides what 12 teams comprise the field, it’s on Alabama to make their lives easier. That starts and ends with getting a win over the Bulldogs and heading back to Tuscaloosa with another trophy.
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