College Football Playoff bracket: 5 bid thieves who could take Alabama’s playoff spot

Week 13 of the 2024 college football season was one we will be talking about for a while. Several playoff-caliber teams sustained major losses. Alabama, Army, BYU, Colorado, Indiana, Ole Miss and Texas A&M all lost. Boise State, Iowa State and Penn State were pushed to the brink. What we are faced with now is an even more chaotic mess heading into the final week of the regular-season slate.

While a third regular-season loss in conference play probably keeps Alabama out of the playoff, especially with how bad its latest one to Oklahoma was, the Crimson Tide still have halfway decent odds to get in. ESPN's Football Power Index has them with a 37.4-percent chance of getting in. That may be the 12th best in the country, and best below 50 percent, but the Big 12 is getting a team in...

So therein lies the big conundrum in all of this. How is Alabama getting in? The Crimson Tide will need some help, and then some. In all likelihood, there will be a team who is not as talented as them essentially bid stealing from them. Truth be told, Alabama has not earned its way into the playoff just yet. They probably will not anyway, as I fully expect for them to be one of the first four out this week.

If we are looking at potential bid thieves who will end up taking Alabama's spot, I have five right here.

5. Clemson Tigers

Clemson is in a very interesting spot heading into the final week of the season. At 9-2, the Tigers have a huge game vs. arch rival South Carolina, who is playing fantastic football of late at 8-3 on the season. They have finished ACC play with a 7-1 conference record. With a Miami loss to Syracuse, they would be the ones playing SMU for an ACC Championship and a top-four seed in the playoff.

Regardless of what happens between Miami and Syracuse, it could be hard to leave Clemson out at 10-2 should the Tigers win the Palmetto Bowl. Right now, I think the Tigers will be ranked ahead of Alabama as one of the first few teams out. Clemson feels like the first team out heading into rivalry week in my book. They could earn their way into the playoff with a win over South Carolina anyway.

Clemson may not have a better win than Alabama's over Georgia, but Clemson has the better record.

4. Miami Hurricanes

With these next two teams, I want to preface this by saying the winner of the ACC Championship between SMU and presumably Miami would not be bid stealing if they won their league. At 12-1 with a Power Four championship under their belt, the winner of SMU vs. Miami would be a lock for the top-three. What I am implying is that maybe the loser of the ACC Championship Game is also getting in.

We could put Clemson in that bucket too, so long as the Tigers beat South Carolina. To me, Miami has been the most steady and consistent team in the ACC all year long. Barring something unforeseen, I would venture to guess that the Hurricanes would still get in now, so long as they may it to Charlotte. I don't know if a loss to Syracuse to finish the regular season at 10-2 would be enough to get right now.

The ACC is probably getting two teams into the playoff now, and one of them will likely be Miami.

3. SMU Mustangs

The SMU Mustangs probably benefited the most of any team from the weekend that was. While the Ponies are 10-1 on the season, they have already punched their ticket to the ACC Championship with a 7-0 mark to start in conference play. Their lone loss is to fellow playoff contender BYU out of the Big 12. It felt like the Mustangs had to win out to get into the playoff, but I feel there is another way in now.

As long as they beat Cal at home next weekend, SMU should be essentially a lock to make the playoff. I would have a hard time keeping an ACC runner-up with a 11-2 (7-1) record out of the playoff, given the amount of chaos we have seen in the SEC. SMU would be duking it out with presumably teams like Alabama and Clemson for the last spot in in that situation. I would like their chances of getting in.

SMU should be one of the 12 teams in the playoff picture heading into the final week of the season.

2. Indiana Hoosiers

Even in defeat, Indiana is still in a fantastic position to make the playoff after falling for the first time this year to Ohio State. IU is 10-1 on the year and has utterly toothless Purdue on the slate. To be frank, Indiana was probably always going to be getting in, regardless of potential chaos brewing and spilling over in the SEC, but Alabama falling only solidifies them getting in. Indiana is now a shoe-in.

As far as potential bid stealing is concerned, there would have been a debate as to who to put in between a one-loss Indiana team and a two-loss Alabama squad. Now, there is no debate. I would still take the Crimson Tide head-to-head, no matter the venue, but Indiana's resume is now stronger than Alabama's. Indiana is probably looking at a No. 9 to No. 11-seed in the 12-team playoff after Week 13.

A win over Purdue gets them in, but I wonder if an Oregon loss in Indianapolis would change anything.

1. Tennessee Volunteers

The biggest bid stealer when it comes to Alabama losing is Tennessee. The Volunteers were dead to rights heading into cupcake after getting pushed around by Georgia. They may have had the head-to-head over Alabama, but the bad loss to Arkansas was not going to help them out. Tennessee was in a similar spot where their in-state rivalry game was not going to be a resume booster for them.

Right now, so long as Tennessee takes care of business vs. a bowl-bound Vanderbilt team, a team that Alabama lost to, the Vols will be making the playoff. They would be as an at-large team, almost certainly slotted behind Georgia should they both get in. While Georgia could conceivably play its way out of the playoff with an SEC Championship Game loss, Tennessee is a lock with a Vandy win.

Tennessee is now going to be a team that will be nearly impossible for Alabama to get ahead of now.