The SEC is considered the top conference in college football, and Alabama has solid credentials. Per ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Crimson Tide ranked No. 6 in strength of schedule and No. 10 in strength of record. Still, they lost to the Florida State Seminoles (5-7), 31-17, in Week 1, which weakens their résumé.
Clearly, the Crimson Tide needs a deep run, or they’ll be called an undeserving selection. Alabama faces the No. 8-seeded Oklahoma Sooners (10-2) in the first round of the CFP on the road on Dec. 19. The Sooners beat the Crimson Tide, 23-21, in their regular-season matchup on Nov. 15.
In the penultimate rankings on Tuesday, the Fighting Irish (10-2) were in the playoff, while the Hurricanes (10-2) were left out. On Sunday, Miami was placed back into the bracket as the No. 10 seed, while Notre Dame wasn’t selected.
It’s not a terrible decision, considering the Hurricanes beat the Fighting Irish, 27-24, in Week 1. But why didn’t the committee consider head-to-head results much earlier?
“Once we moved Miami ahead of BYU, we had that side-by-side comparison, and you look at those two teams on paper, and they are almost equal,” CFP chair Hunter Yuracheck said of flipping Notre Dame and Miami, via Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger. “The one metric we had to fall back on was head-to-head.”
It shouldn’t have taken the committee that long, though. Miami should’ve been in earlier if on-field results were one of its biggest criteria.
The Hoosiers (13-0) stunned the Buckeyes (12-1) in a 13-10 win in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday. That marks the first time they’ve won the conference since 1967. No. 2-seeded Ohio State certainly wants another crack at No. 1-seeded Indiana, but it may have the more challenging path.
The Buckeyes may have to beat the No. 7-seeded Texas A&M Aggies (11-1) and No. 3 seed Georgia to reach the national title game. The Bulldogs — who have won nine straight games — are one of the hottest teams in the country. Indiana’s toughest matchup, meanwhile, could be against No. 4-seeded Texas Tech.
If the Buckeyes can survive both of these potential games, that would bode well for the defending national champions. It would help prepare them for a rematch in the national championship. But again, Ohio State must first reach the big game, and that could prove difficult.
Group of Five teams are the biggest winners
This season’s bracket shows how it benefits Group of Five teams. The James Madison Dukes (12-1), winners of the Sun Belt Conference, earned the No. 12 seed. The Tulane Green Wave (11-2), winners of the American Athletic Conference, secured the No. 11 seed. Last season, the Boise State Broncos of the Mountain West Conference were the only Group of Five team that was selected.
Their inclusion highlights one of the positives of the 12-team format, introduced during the 2024 season. It gives smaller schools a chance to compete with the country’s top teams. Whether they can do that remains to be seen.
The Dukes will face the No. 5 Oregon Ducks (11-1) in the first round on Dec. 20, while the Green Wave plays the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels (11-1) that same day. If either school pulls off a stunning road upset, it will prove the committee made the right choice by giving the underdogs a seat at the table.
