Alabama Crimson Tide Football

Warde Manuel, chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee, said there was "quite a debate" between taking SMU or Alabama as the final choice in the 12-team field.

"The way SMU played in that (ACC title) game, losing on a last-second FG. We felt like in this case SMU had the nod above Alabama, but it's no disrespect to Alabama's strength of schedule," Manuel said during Sunday's bracket reveal, per Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.

This was the biggest question heading into Sunday.

Alabama was the last at-large team when the committee unveiled the CFP bracket before the conference championships. SMU's upset at the hands of Clemson in the ACC title game upended the status quo, however.

The Mustangs clawed back from a 17-point deficit in the second half and tied it up with 16 seconds left, but Nolan Hauser's 56-yard field goal lifted Clemson to victory.

So the committee was left to pick between 11-2 SMU and 9-3 Alabama.

The Crimson Tide owns wins over Georgia, South Carolina and Missouri but lost to a pair of 6-6 foes (Vanderbilt and Oklahoma). The Mustangs ran the table in the ACC in the regular season, and their two defeats were by six combined points to Top 25 teams.

Manuel emphasized that strength of schedule is a factor the committee considers, and it played a role in helping separate Alabama from South Carolina and Ole Miss in the at-large battle between SEC teams. Strength of schedule only went so far, though.

Not surprisingly, Manuel's comments and the committee's final decision sparked differing reactions on social media:

Of course, the notion that major schools such as Alabama should schedule easy non-conference games every year moving forward elides who the Tide played outside of the SEC. They hosted Western Kentucky, South Florida and Mercer and hit the road to face off against Wisconsin at a time when the Badgers are still in a down phase.

The committee was in a difficult position.

Omitting Alabama was going to be an unpopular call when the Tide have some quality wins. The alternative was effectively punishing what had been a deserving team because it competed over the weekend while 'Bama was at home.

All things considered, any three-loss team can't have much complaint about missing out under the current format.

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban has spoken about the Crimson Tide's exclusion from the 2024 College Football Playoff.

Alabama was the first team out of the 12-team field with the committee choosing SMU for the final at-large spot. Following the news, Saban expressed his concerns on the ESPN Selection Show broadcast and warned that the result could devalue the benefits of scheduling difficult opponents during the regular season.

I think one of the things I have mentioned throughout this football season is if we don't take strength of schedule into consideration, is there any benefit to scheduling really good teams in the future? Like here at Alabama, we're supposed to play Notre Dame Ohio State Wisconsin, Florida State in the future outside the league. Those are great games for fans to see, and that's what I think we should be doing in college football is creating more inventory for great games that people are interested in. But do you enhance people wanting to do that where what's the athletic director going to do? He may go cancel all those games now knowing that the SEC is tough enough.

He then did note that he believes "the best teams are in the playoff" and that Alabama, among the other teams who just missed out on the field, had the opportunity to "control its own destiny."

CFP chairman Warde Manuel acknowledged on the broadcast that the committee had "quite a debate" over Alabama and SMU but that SMU's performance in the ACC Championship game pushed the Mustangs over the edge.

Alabama finished 9-3 and did not qualify for the SEC Championship. The program had strong wins over South Carolina, LSU, Missouri and most notably a Georgia team that won the SEC Championship and earned the No. 2 seed in the field.

Alabama lost to Tennessee, who earned the No. 9 seed, but also lost to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. Both of those teams finished the season 6-6.

SMU, on the other hand, finished the regular season 11-1 and lost the ACC Championship to Clemson on a walk-off field goal. While SMU had the superior record and did reach its conference championship, the Mustangs did not defeat a ranked opponent. Both losses came to ranked opponents but the lack of a true signature win had many wondering if Alabama would steal that final spot.

The committee sided with SMU in this case, while Alabama will enter a non-playoff Bowl Game to conclude the season.

The latest College Football Playoff rankings were unveiled on Tuesday, and three-loss Alabama came in at No. 11 ahead of two-loss Miami and a pair of three-loss teams in Ole Miss and South Carolina. Those three schools were ranked Nos. 12-14, respectively.

College Football Playoff chair Warde Manuel justified the selection during his appearance on ESPN, noting that Alabama is "3-1 against current top-25 teams, and Miami is 0-1. Alabama is 6-1 against teams above .500, and Miami is 4-2. Both have had some losses that weren't what they wanted out of those games, but in the last three games, Miami has lost twice."

That has the Crimson Tide in prime position to ultimately secure a playoff berth:

Alabama's ranking was not a popular one outside of Tuscaloosa:

Most of the conference championships won't have any bearing on Alabama's potential playoff bid. Texas and Georgia, both playing the SEC Championship Game, are locks to get into the playoff regardless of the result. Ditto for Oregon and Penn State in the Big Ten Championship.

The winner of the Mountain West title game between Boise State and Nevada will get an automatic bid as the highest-ranked conference champion outside of the Power Four. The winner of the Big 12 Championship between Arizona State and Iowa State will get in, while the loser is out.

The ACC Championship Game is the only game that could hurt Alabama's playoff hopes. If Clemson beats SMU, securing the automatic playoff berth, the CFP Committee will have to decide between the two-loss Mustangs and three-loss Crimson Tide for the final at-large berth.

It's not a stretch to think SMU could drop below Alabama, though it would set the precedent that reaching a conference championship but losing it is more detrimental to a playoff résumé than not reaching a conference title game at all.

"SMU is in the tournament," ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told Chris Vannini of The Athletic on Monday. "I don't see any way you can't keep SMU in regardless of what happens on Saturday. Playing in a conference championship game, there cannot be a negative residual to that if you are in the field going into that weekend. If you are in the top 12, there should be no downside."

Despite Phillips' argument above, SMU's exclusion is a possibility:

SMU is 0-1 against teams currently ranked in the top 25, the same record that was used against Miami by the Committee. But SMU is 5-1 against teams above .500, and the team's only loss came on Sept. 6 against BYU by just three points.

The Mustangs have been better down the stretch than Miami, and a loss against Clemson—unless it was an embarrassing blowout—wouldn't be seen as a bad loss.

SMU can end the conversation by simply beating Clemson, which would ensure both they and Alabama made the playoff field. But the situation becomes much more controversial if the Mustangs lose.

The Alabama Crimson Tide have made their final case to the committee.

The Tide took care of business Saturday in the Iron Bowl, defeating Auburn 28-14 to finish the regular season 9-3

Alabama produced 457 total yards and possessed the ball for 36:35 and went an efficient 12-of-18 on third down. They also forced two crucial turnovers in the fourth quarter.

Naturally, tensions were high between the two rivals and a fight even broke out during play.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe had a dominant day, going 18-of-24 for 256 yards with an interception but adding 104 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries.

Freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams had three catches for 53 yards while Germie Bernard had seven catches for 111 yards.

Fans took to social media to praise Milroe and the Tide for claiming the victory.

The Crimson Tide will not be in the SEC Championship and will hope for some chaos to get them over the hump. They entered this week ranked No. 13 and a losses for Miami and Clemson this week should help Alabama's chances.

Now that he's no longer coaching the team, Nick Saban is apparently done lobbying on Alabama's behalf.

The retired head coach said Wednesday on The Pat McAfee Show he doesn't believe a team with three losses has a strong case to make the College Football Playoff. That includes the Crimson Tide along with Ole Miss this year.

Saban's perspective would probably be much different if he were still at Alabama. The Crimson Tide beat Georgia, shut out Missouri 34-0, and hammered LSU by 29 points. Surely that's enough to warrant a CFP berth, right?

His comments from Wednesday hit on one argument behind expanding the playoff to 12 teams.

Under a four-team format, the barrier to entry was so high that multiple teams with credible résumés were bound to miss out in a given year. Florida State even had a perfect record last season but got overlooked by the selection committee.

Now, the teams on the bubble are going to have a minimum of two, possibly three losses. Once you get this far down the rankings, the sense of injustice isn't as acute.

All Alabama had to do was beat Vanderbilt or a mediocre Oklahoma squad and it wouldn't be in this position.

The same goes for Ole Miss. If the Rebels wanted to be taken seriously as a championship contender, then they shouldn't have come up short against LSU, Florida and Kentucky.

Further playoff expansion is probably inevitable so get ready for the arguments about whether four losses should be disqualifying.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe isn't phased by fiery comments made by Auburn linebacker Demarcus Riddick ahead of Saturday's Iron Bowl.

"I don't know who that is," Milroe said Tuesday, per ESPN's Chris Low. "I mean, let him talk. It's a part of it. It's all about executing what we need to do so we can be at our best this weekend. But, yeah, good on him."

Riddick fired shots at the Crimson Tide on Monday when he said freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams "ain't no big-time player to me" and declared, "I will not lose to Bama while I'm here." He also said he was unimpressed with Milroe's skills despite leading Alabama with 615 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns.

"He is a good quarterback. He's fast," Riddick said. "But, I mean, he's not faster than me. He will not get out of that box this week."

The Crimson Tide have a four-game win streak against the Tigers in the Iron Bowl, and they are looking to bounce back from their disappointing loss to Oklahoma this past Saturday. It can be expected that Riddick's comments added even more fuel for Milroe and company as they gear up for the rivalry showdown.

As Jalen Milroe wraps up what will likely be his final season at the collegiate level, the Alabama quarterback is getting high praise from NFL executives.

Per ESPN's Jordan Reid, one director of college scouting "from a QB-needy team" spoke on Milroe's ability to prove critics wrong every year. The exec also noted that whichever team drafts Milroe will likely need to adjust their offense to him.

"He's been doubted every year, and he constantly keeps proving the doubters wrong," the scout said. "You're going to have to go all-in on his skill set and build a scheme that just overwhelms. [It'd have to be a team] like Baltimore, but there's a pathway to success for him on the next level."

Milroe, who debuted as Alabama's starter last season after Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young left for the NFL, had 2,834 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions along with 531 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground in 2023.

This season, he's recorded 2,396 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions to go with 615 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground.

Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department lists Milroe as the No. 37 overall prospect and the No. 3 quarterback in this year's class.

Milroe has established himself as one of the most, if not the most mobile quarterback in college football this season. He leads the Crimson Tide in both rushing yards and touchdowns.

That kind of mobility is much-needed in the NFL, making him an exciting prospect to look forward to.

Until the draft, Milroe and Alabama will look to make the most out of what is left of the season. The Crimson Tide are having a down year from their standards, losing their third game of the season on Saturday and likely losing their spot in the College Football Playoff.

They'll close out the season on Saturday with an Iron Bowl matchup against Auburn in what could be Milroe's final game at Alabama.

Ahead of Saturday's rivalry game against No. 7 Alabama, Auburn freshman linebacker DeMarcus Riddick declared that he hasn't been impressed with Crimson Tide freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams.

When asked about facing Williams this week, Riddick told reporters, "Ryan Williams ain't no big time player to me" before going on to declare, "I will not lose to Bama while I'm here."

Riddick is actually very familiar with Williams, as both of them grew up in Alabama. 247Sports ranked Riddick as the state's No. 6 overall player in the class of 2024, while Williams was ranked No. 2. Williams was also named the Alabama Gatorade Football Player of the Year and Alabama Mr. Football in both his sophomore and junior years before reclassifying to the 2024 class and committing to the Crimson Tide. He was Alabama's first-ever two-time Mr. Football winner and the first sophomore ever to win the award.

It didn't take long for Williams to make a splash at the collegiate level, as he leads the Crimson Tide with 42 catches, 802 yards and eight touchdowns entering Saturday's game. However, he hasn't had a 100-yard game since his monster 177-yard performance in Alabama's win over Georgia in September.

Riddick has also had a solid freshman season for the Tigers, ranking third on the team with three sacks while adding 25 total tackles and a pass deflection. At 5-6, Auburn is holding out hope that it can earn a spot in a bowl game with a strong performance against Alabama.

With an 8-3 record, Alabama is battling for a spot in the College Football Playoff Rankings, so it will be motivated to bounce back from this past Saturday's loss to Oklahoma. After Riddick's comments, it can be expected that Williams will be ready to prove him wrong in their first meeting as rivals.

Jalen Milroe fell far below expectations on Saturday.

Milroe struggled mightily as No. 7 Alabama suffered an upset defeat at the hands of Oklahoma, losing by the final score of 24-3.

The junior quarterback finished 11-of-26 for just 164 yards and three interceptions without recording a touchdown. Milroe also picked up a mere seven rush yards on 15 attempts.

The score was tied 3-3 just before the end of the second quarter, but an 18-yard rushing touchdown by Xavier Robinson gave the Sooners momentum entering halftime.

Oklahoma found the end zone twice before the third quarter came to a close and Alabama was unable to overcome a 21-point hole. In fact, it was the largest deficit the Crimson Tide faced to an unranked opponent since 2003.

Fans and pundits called out Milroe for his disastrous performance.

Freshman sensation Ryan Williams caught two passes for 37 yards. He initially hauled in a 36-yard receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the play was nullified due to an illegal touching penalty.

Alabama fell to 8-3 on the season as a whole, representing the school's first year with three losses since 2010.

In order to salvage the Crimson Tide's College Football Playoff hopes, head coach Kalen DeBoer's team must come out strong against Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 30.