Ranking every College Football Playoff team in history

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 09: Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney holds up the National Championship trophy after the 2017 College Football National Championship Game between the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide on January 9, 2017, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. Clemson defeated Alabama 35-31. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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January 01, 2015: Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Blake Sims (6) hands the ball off to running back Derrick Henry (27) during the Allstate Sugar Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA. Ohio State defeated Alabama 42-35. (Photo by Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images) /

7. Alabama Crimson Tide – 2015

Result: Lost to Ohio State in Semifinal (Sugar Bowl), 42-35

There are some things that you rarely see in college football. One of those things is Alabama simply losing at all. That’s just not something that many fans are accustomed to seeing, because with Nick Saban’s factory for NFL talent, they are often just too good to suffer all that many losses. However, even more rare than that is to see the Crimson Tide lose a game in which they held a commanding lead. Yet, that was the case in the 2015 Sugar Bowl.

Bama came out of the gate hot in the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Touchdowns by both Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon on the ground in addition to an Amari Cooper touchdown reception from Blake Sims gave the Tide a 21-6 lead midway through the second quarter. However, from that point until almost the end of the third quarter, the ineffectiveness of Sims and the talent of OSU allowed the fourth-seeded Bucks to score 28 unanswered points and jump ahead 34-21. Though the Tide tried to fight back, they were unable to stifle the Buckeyes offense late in the fourth quarter and fell, 42-35.

Had the Crimson Tide had another quarterback, though, it’s hard to imagine them not winning the title with this team. Between Yeldon, Henry and Cooper, this was one of the most loaded groups of skill position players to ever come through Tuscaloosa, and their defense was loaded with talent, as they always are. However, there’s only so much talent can do to overcome shaky quarterback play in big games, which is where they met their demise.