Yes, 'Bama Is In As Penultimate College Football Playoff Rankings Settle Into Place

The penultimate College Football Playoff rankings were revealed on Tuesday night, and all of the intrigue was centered around which team would be slated in the final at-large spot. Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Miami are the four best-positioned for the slot, and it turns out that old reliable is the most attractive option right now.

That’s right, Alabama - fresh off of a win in the Iron Bowl over Auburn to push its record to 9-3 - has the inside track to make the CFP. Miami fell one spot behind the Crimson Tide after its loss to Syracuse, even though the Hurricanes have 10 wins on their resume.

NORMAN, Okla. - Quarterback Jalen Milroe #4 talks with head coach Kalen DeBoer of the Alabama Crimson Tide after a receiver was ruled out of bounds on the 11-yard line instead of scoring a touchdown against the Oklahoma Sooners in the first quarter at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 23, 2024.  (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

It’s setting up for a wild sprint to the finish in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff format.

Let’s Take A Look At The Rankings (*= in the playoffs)

1. Oregon*

2. Texas*

3. Penn State*

4. Notre Dame*

5. Georgia*

6. Ohio State *

7. Tennessee*

8. SMU*

9. Indiana*

10. Boise State*

11. Alabama*

12. Miami

13. Ole Miss

14. South Carolina

15. Arizona State*

16. Iowa State

17. Clemson

18. BYU

19. Missouri

20. UNLV

21. Illinois

22. Syracuse

23. Colorado

24. Army

25. Memphis

Top 3 Takeaways

• Alabama is in. Sure, some metrics might change after results are posted this weekend, but there’s no way that the Crimson Tide will be knocked out of that perch as long as chalk holds according to CFP chair Warde Manuel. Is that the way that it should be? That’s in the eye of the beholder. The truth is that coaches, administrators and fans of the Crimson Tide, Miami, Ole Miss and South Carolina have been lobbying for that spot, and all of them have valid points. South Carolina is hot, Alabama has a head-to-head over the Gamecocks, Ole Miss has a massive win over Georgia and Miami is the only one out of that bunch that reached the double-digit win mark. It doesn’t matter now. Yes, the selection committee contradicts itself all of the time. Do you think that it’ll drop a name-brand like Alabama when none of the other teams vying for the spot even play? No way.

• "Chalk holding" is important, though. The ACC Championship Game will have a massive say on Alabama’s future. If SMU wins, there’s no question that it’ll earn a first-round bye. However, Clemson’s only path to the CFP is with a win over the Mustangs. If that were to happen, SMU would theoretically be thrown into the mix for that final at-large spot. In that case, it’d be no contest. SMU would be in. SMU ran the table in conference play, has an acceptable loss to No. 18 BYU and won’t be punished by playing its way into a position that could knock them out.

• I have been fascinated with the Tennessee-Ohio State debate since the Buckeyes lost to Michigan, because I figured that they’d play each other either in Columbus or Knoxville. It turns out that, right now, they’ll meet at the Horseshoe. That’s the way it should be. They both have a bad loss, with the Buckeyes’ coming last week to a Michigan team that hasn’t discovered the forward pass yet and the Volunteers fell at Arkansas earlier in the season. The big wins for Ohio State over No. 3 Penn State and No. 9 Indiana are more than enough to give coach Ryan Day’s team the home field in a first-round game.

Tennessee defeats Vanderbilt to clinch a College Football Playoff Spot Via: Trey Wallace

What Would The Bracket Look Like?

First round;

9. Tennessee

8. Ohio State

12. Arizona State

5. Penn State

10. Indiana

7. Georgia

11. Alabama

6. Notre Dame

Quarterfinals:

12/5 Winner

4. Boise State (MWC champion)

9/8 Winner

1. Oregon (Big Ten champion)

11/6 Winner

3. SMU (ACC champion)

10/7 Winner

2. Texas (SEC champion)