Can Alabama still make the College Football Playoff?

After suffering an Iron Bowl loss to Auburn on Saturday, some are wondering whether or not Alabama is out of the College Football Playoff hunt.

As most had expected, the Alabama Crimson Tide have been rolling through the 2017 college football season, entering the final week of the regular season undefeated at 11-0 and No. 1 in the College Football Playoff Rankings. However, this run the Tide have been on came to a screeching halt on Saturday after suffering a 26-14 loss in the Iron Bowl to the surging Auburn Tigers inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. With the loss, Alabama’s season has come to a close, as they now miss out of the SEC Championship Game next weekend against the Georgia Bulldogs, winners of the East Division.

However, with the Iron Bowl loss, many are also wondering whether or not the dream of making a fourth-consecutive College Football Playoff are dead for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.

Well, still with just one loss on the season, the answer to that question is no.

Some things still, obviously, need to happen in front of them, but Alabama is not dead just yet. Heck, should Clemson lose on Saturday night — they’re playing rival South Carolina — Alabama might not even drop out of the top four this week, if the committee really wants to give them the benefit of the doubt with this one.

Then, of course, there are the implications of the championship games taking place next weekend. Just as one quick example, should TCU hand Oklahoma its second loss of the season and a two-loss Ohio State takes the Big Ten Championship away from a Wisconsin team that not many respect to begin with, the committee will surely give the Tide a nudge into the fold next Sunday when the final rankings are released.

That’s just one example. There are a few other chaos scenarios that could help the Tide get in as well.

Simply put, if you’re freaking out about this Iron Bowl loss damaging Alabama’s chances at playing for the national championship — don’t.