Alabama’s starting spot in first CFP rankings cements College Football Playoff berth

Alabama shocked everyone by coming in at No. 2 in the first 2021 CFP rankings. Does this lock up their spot in the College Football Playoff?

It was a banner Tuesday night for the Alabama Crimson Tide, despite the fact that Nick Saban’s team was just (likely) watching ESPN and the first CFP rankings reveal with the rest of us.

While most people wondered if Alabama would crack the top four of the initial College Football Playoff rankings, the committee wasn’t even close on that train of thought. No, the Tide weren’t well outside the top four but, rather, well inside it as they came in at No. 2 behind only the Georgia Bulldogs.

There were plenty of surprises in the rankings from 1-25, but Alabama’s initial spot in the rankings was definitely among them. But for the Crimson Tide, this could set them up for history and, potentially, already lock them into a spot in the top four for the final CFP rankings.

Alabama could be the first two-loss College Football Playoff team

With their starting position, the most obvious path for Alabama to make the playoff would be to win out in the regular season and beat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. That much is obvious — and would likely net the conference two bids to the CFP.

Having said that, there is a world in which Alabama could become the first two-loss team to ever make the College Football Playoff.

Should the Crimson Tide win out in the regular season but lose to Georgia in a close game, that would be the first domino to fall for that happen. Secondly, they would also need Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan to essentially cannibalize themselves in the Big Ten to lessen their respective cases. Alabama would also likely need Oklahoma to lose one of its remaining games and, perhaps, for Oregon to lose as well.

But with the way this season has gone, none of that is impossible. It would be if Alabama weren’t at No. 2 in the rankings but, now that they are, the doors it opens are quite intriguing.

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