Ranking every College Football Playoff team in history

11. Alabama Crimson Tide – 2015

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

You could make the argument that the 2015 Sugar Bowl matchup between the Alabama Crimson Tide (the top seed in the College Football Playoff) and the Ohio State Buckeyes was actually the National Championship Game considering how things played out for the Buckeyes in the title game. The winner of the semifinal likely would’ve emerged with the title no matter who was victorious, which speaks volumes about Alabama.

Up against a team that won in convincing fashion in the Natty, the Crimson Tide lived through numerous big mistakes and playing with a defense that had absolutely no answer for Ezekiel Elliott. Quarterback Blake Sims was the main culprit for their mistakes in this game, throwing three interceptions, including one on the final play of the game, a Hail Mary to try and tie it up and force overtime.

Having said that, there were still big-time plays by Alabama in this game. Sims did throw for two touchdowns, both to Amari Cooper. Meanwhile, Derrick Henry, T.J. Yeldon and Sims combined for three rushing touchdowns and 170 yards on three carries. And if that weren’t enough, the pass defense was solid, forcing Cardale Jones to go just 19-of-36 for 256 yards, two scores and an interception.

This Alabama team was clearly built to compete at the highest level, even with the imperfect Sims at quarterback. They came up short, though, and had a porous run defense in the worst moment possible. For those reasons, they fall outside the top 10, but still deserve plenty of credit for the team that they built.