Nick Saban seems indifferent about the Alabama Crimson Tide being the four-seed in the first released rankings of the 2015 College Football Playoff.
Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide find themselves as the projected four-seed in the first released rankings of the 2015 College Football Playoff, despite being a one-loss team ahead of several undefeated teams in the Power 5. Saban said, via 247 Sports, “I don’t think the rankings mean anything.”
He does have a point. Should Alabama win out, the Tide would have to knock of No. 3 LSU, finish the regular season at 11-1 (7-1), and beat No. 10 Florida in the 2015 SEC Championship to earn a second consecutive College Football Playoff Berth. These early November rankings suggest where the sea level is at and nothing more. A one-loss SEC Champion more than likely gets in the Playoff.
Saban went on to say the following about Alabama being ranked entering the first full week of November: “All it means is that you’ve created an opportunity to have a chance to finish the season and maybe have an opportunity to play in some other games that are big games.”
For a head coach that has won four national championships, he does a convincing job of downplaying the temporary standings in Division I. He and his team know that a loss to LSU this weekend is the end of their 2015 College Football Playoff hopes. Losing the tiebreakers to both Ole Miss and LSU probably puts the Tide out of consideration for a New Year’s Six Bowl in all honesty.
While it is exciting to see the initial College Football Playoff rankings, Saban’s team aspires to play a part in it every year. The Alabama Crimson Tide out recruit everybody annually and know what it takes to win big games, just not in the Sugar Bowl for some reason.
Expect the Crimson Tide to echo their head coach’s sentiment when they take on division rival LSU on Saturday for potential SEC West supremacy. Keep in mind that Ole Miss is still in the mix to win the West, too.