Alabama football: Has the Crimson Tide already clinched a College Football Playoff berth?
By John Buhler
Alabama football may have already clinched a spot into the College Football Playoff.
There are so many reasons Alabama football is the favorite to win it all this season.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are 8-0 on the year and the No. 1 team in the country heading into the first week of December. They have one more scheduled game at the LSU Tigers on Saturday, and could get to 10-0 if they get their SEC West foe Arkansas Razorbacks back on the schedule for Dec. 12. Assuming Alabama is undefeated before the SEC Championship, is it a playoff team?
A perfect record heading into Atlanta for the Crimson Tide means playoff berth
Whether Alabama is 9-0 after an LSU road victory or even 10-0 if the Crimson Tide get Arkansas back on the schedule, they will be the No. 1 team in the country heading into the SEC Championship game vs. a fellow College Football Playoff contender in the Florida Gators. Regardless of what happens in Atlanta, the Crimson Tide will absolutely make the four-team field.
Should the Crimson Tide defeat Florida, they will be the No. 1 seed in the 2021 College Football Playoff as an undefeated Power 5 champion out of the SEC. If the Crimson Tide were to stumble to the Gators in Atlanta, they would still get in as a one-loss, at-large team, possibly as high as the No. 3 seed, depending on what happens in the ACC Championship game over in Charlotte.
Ultimately, the Crimson Tide are in fantastic shape to make the playoff for the sixth time in seven years. They are destined to play in the Sugar Bowl, either as the No. 1 overall seed or as a No. 4 seed if they were to lose an unexpected one to Florida in Atlanta. Either way, it will be almost impossible for the Crimson Tide to not get into the playoff this year. In short, they are already in.
The SEC may get two teams in this season, but Alabama will undoubtedly be one of them.
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