Did the Tide’s walloping in Baton Rouge improve their standing with the Committee?
It’s here. The second week of the College Football Playoff Committee rankings. Last week we all got a surprise when the No. 5 Crimson Tide was the 5-seed. Most thought it was illusory, perhaps even fraudulent. The kindest thing said was that the Tide were overranked. All they did this weekend was validate that lofty seeding with a pasting of the LSU Tigers on the road, 31-13.
What is in store for tonight? What does the national landscape look like? Who’s capable of making a run? Our panel of misfits tackle it in this week’s Roundtable.
Will the Tide move up at all this week after pantsing LSU on the road?
Isaac: “Move up” is a relative term. I would say Bama has definitely moved up from “Fraudulent fifth” to “legit CFP home game.” I don’t know how much the weekly ups-and-downs are supposed to matter — but it feels like too many people have a notion that after a loss teams are “supposed” to drop a certain number of slots. Does Miami “plummet” below Alabama because of a <checks notes> controversial one-score loss on the road at a top-10 team and a Malachi Toney injury?
I’ll take the promotion from Pretender to Contender and let the rest shake out.
TBT (and we did warn you, he’s a troll): This is an obvious yes. Miami losing adds to that fact. ‘Bama probably even jumps over IU.
CHayate: We should. We’ve built a top 3 resume. Minimum we should move up at least 1 spot for Miami dropping out.
Erik: Nope. I think the AP voters clued us in on this — people still stubbornly rank 8-1 slop above 7-2 excellence. I think, after huge wins by Texas and Tennessee too, there’s even a good chance the Tide drop a spot. The Wildcats did Alabama nooooo favors with their no-show in Knoxville.
We are 10 games into the season, have had a head-to-head matchup, and I still don’t think anyone knows what to make of Notre Dame or Miami. Are either of these Top 10 teams? Both? Neither?
Isaac: In the last few years, we would have said the same about the B1G contenders because their schedules were so back-loaded that you simply couldn’t know. This season, you could say the same for the ACC. Miami beat Wake Forest early, but Wake still has SMU and Duke ahead, and Miami has to play Duke. (And yes, it’s pretty freakin’ weird to talk about Duke and Wake as mattering in football, but here we are.)
TBT: Miami, without Malachi Toney, is probably at the bottom of the top 10. Notre Shame should be just outside it.
CHayate: I think they are both top 10 but not top 5. Both teams showed they can’t really cope with any injuries to key players.
Erik: I still don’t know honestly. Miami has Top 5 talent. Notre Dame has a Top 5 passing game and defense. But I don’t see either of them getting to the semis. Of the pair, probably Miami is the only Top 10 club, and they both would finish no better than 9-3 in the SEC.
3. Would you rather someone stumble and allow the Tide go to Atlanta, where they play for an SEC Title? Or would you rather finish the year 10-2, T-2nd in the conference, miss Atlanta, but at least know you have a guaranteed home playoff game?
Isaac: In the neomodern NIL/Transfer era, rosters are so much more fragile than ever. Depth is gone, and programs can’t stack talent and keep them in systems. One or two injuries can derail a season.
Given we could have a conference with a five-way logjam for two spots (or a four-way elevator fight for the second slot,) who wants to risk unnecessary injuries for a ceremonial title?
Imagine telling the Bears and the Vikings that at the end of 17 games, they’ve got to play an extra one to determine who gets the NFC North Winner t-shirts, while the Packers and Lions go to the playoff anyway.
TBT: The latter. I see the SEC title game as just another chance to get hurt. The natty is the ultimate goal.
CHayate: I’m torn on this one. The calculating side tells me to skip the SECCG and us the rest to heal and sharpen up the team. The nostalgic side says it would be a great thing to win the last one.
Erik: I’m on borrowed time. I know that I don’t have many more seasons for the Tide to hoist the Exalted Megaphone once more. Gimme’ the megaphone, and let UGA and Tennessee beat each other’s brains in. Alabama has had enough injuries as it is.
4. Is anyone in the Big 10 actually worth a shit? For that matter, is there anyone in the B12 who can go on a run in the playoffs?
Isaac: No.
TBT: anOSU with Saiyan was decent. Now they are shit. IU is also a dead man walking. In other words, none of them are that good.
CHayate: Maybe. Who knows. UCLA looks surprisingly competent throwing the ball. Utah can play some football. Teams are so silo’d by scheduling it’s hard to get a read on their opponent quality. This year it feels like scheduling and injury luck more than team quality is going to decide who makes a run and who doesnt.
Erik: I genuinely think UCLA could make a run to at least the semis. With a healthy QB, they could even make the finals, if they had the right matchups. In the B12? No, no one. I think there’s a 50-50 chance Utah even loses this weekend at Arizona. Bob Chesney is about to be filthy rich; the Bruins aren’t a flash in the pan. That team is built inside-out from the lines, and he can plainly coach them too.
In what order would you put the following two-loss teams: Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky.
Isaac:
- Texas — best set of wins
- Alabama — big wins, better losses
- Tennessee — big wins, but weaker margins on pedestrian mid-SEC opponents (10 over Auburn, 7 over Arkansas)
- Kentucky — too many squeakers.
TBT: Move Tex-ass to the back of the line just because.
CHayate: Alabama, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee
Erik: Brutal question. Let’s go with: Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, UK, and the Wildcats are a fair margin behind the UTs and ‘Bama, if scoreboards are any indication.
Georgia is obviously the best team in the country. Who’s Number 2?
Isaac: Probably either Utah or Alabama. We’ve seen the latter go head up with the Dwags, and came within pointy football bounces. The former is getting it done and looks like more of a contender than anyone in the B1G.
TBT: Honestly, a healthy Alabama team is at least #3.
CHayate: Alabama, obviously.
Erik: Healthy, on a neutral field, and playing their game? Not only is Alabama at least the No. 2 team in the country, I think they are the best. We’ll stick with the Tide though for now at the two-spot: No. 1 SOS, No. 1 Strength of Victories. No. 5 Offense. No. 6 Defense.
Welp. That wraps up our Roundtable for this week. We hope it gave you something to think about in advance of tonight.
TONIGHT: The Committee Rankings show is at 8:00 Central, on ESPN. Join us at 7:00 Central, where we will have our rankings, rantings, and gamethread for you. See you then.
Roll Tide
I think we drop either a spot or two. They’re going to move Notre Dame ahead of us but they’re not going to drop Miami below us. And I could easily see them say we are now in the same “pod” as Tennessee, so head to head no matters and move those assholes ahead of us.
That’s my thinking too. Coupled with UK’s f’n awful game in Neyland. They didn’t even get off the bus. It hurts us a lot when you start looking H2H
You gotta think they take Bama’s injuries into account for that game too. I mean, we’ve said it ad nauseam, but we were down C1, NT1, WR1, and lost CB1 at the beginning of that game. That’s something the medidiots haven’t talked about enough.
TherE Is no excUSE for DeBoer tO EvEr lOse aNy GAmES becAuSe hE hAd aLL oF sABaN’s RECRuitS
the margin of victory over UK was the same for both of us.
Ours was on the road though.
Yes, and we were on the road, but when have they ever been consist?
I think the Committee actually likes us this year. I say that because I didn’t see us being ranked nearly as high as 5th. Top 10, sure, but top 5 was a shocker.
If history has taught us anything, the Committee will base their rankings on nebulous criteria that seemingly changes every week.
Man the Gump is Gumping in here today.
“Rejoice, for this is the day that we Gump…”
“If you aint early, you’re late” applies to Gumping as well
IF you assume the tide LET LSU move at will slowly down the field as a strategy, then we looked good. if you feel more like LSU choked in the red zone and at every critical point, then we were fortunate. Why didn’t Womack dial it up to stop them BEFORE they hit the red zone? red zone D was great. these questions worry me; good to be worried after a win. O was very good though, best game of year for Grubbs.
Would rank us about the same spot but behind TN, damn it. they whipped our ass.
Wommack didn’t dial it up because it’s easy for the QB to chuck up a meatball against cover 0 and score 70 yard touchdown . The is a lot more open grass on the 50 vs the 25
Nothing will shock me, and trying to forecast the committee is often a fool’s errand. That said, if I HAD to bet money, I’m with TBT – Bama #3
@rbrerik Who do you see beating them? I’d take UGA, but there’s nobody else that I would consider better than a tossup, and not many of those (I’d take Bama if we get/stay healthy and Keelon truly rounds into form, but I’m trying NOT to look through Crimson colored glasses).
I’m struggling with the SEC Champ – on one hand it is just a meaningless game, a chance to loss valuable players to injury before the playoff. But also would be pretty cool to be the first team and last team to win the Champ game.