Joel Klatt gives stern warning regarding Alabama's path to playoff

Although it suffered a loss to Texas A&M earlier this season, Alabama – currently ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff Top 25 – is sitting at 9-1 overall, 5-1 in SEC play and has won four straight games. There’s no doubt that the Crimson Tide is playing good football heading down the stretch, but it’s also no secret that it must keep winning in order to remain inside the CFP top-four.

During FOX Sports’ Breaking the Huddle with Joel Klatt show on Wednesday, the college football analyst focused in on Alabama and discussed two different scenarios for the Tide: Either they can win out and stay in, or they can lose a single game and be out. Klatt made it as simple as that for Nick Saban’s club.

“Georgia’s kind of this team that’s like you can basically shoo-in one of the four spots for the Georgia Bulldogs. Alabama is a different scenario,” Klatt said. “Now, granted, they’ve got a hard schedule here in the back-end of the season: Arkansas, then the Iron Bowl [vs. Auburn] and then potentially Georgia [in the SEC championship]. And while I don’t think they’re going to go through that undefeated, it’s certainly a scenario where they could. If they do, they will absolutely be in the playoff. That’s a no-brainer.”

But what if Alabama drops one of those key games and doesn’t win out?

“Now, if they lose one of those games, as a two-loss team I just don’t think the committee is going to put them in as a two-loss team,” Klatt said. “Maybe that’s against my better judgement with the way that they view Alabama generally, but I just don’t think that they will. So, I think ‘Bama is basically either going to be the No. 1 team in the country running the table or they’re going to be out.

“It’s kind of all or nothing for Alabama.”

Alabama is a 20.5-point favorite coming into Saturday’s game vs. No. 21 Arkansas. Following this weekend’s contest, the Crimson Tide then face off with Auburn on the road Nov. 27 to close the regular season.

Alabama coach Nick Saban praises Sam Pittman for Arkansas’ improvement

After going just 3-7 overall while playing an SEC-only schedule last season, Arkansas has significantly turned things around in 2021. The Razorbacks are currently 7-3 on the year with a 3-3 mark in SEC play and are riding a three-game winning streak into Saturday’s game at No. 2 ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

To Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, he credits Arkansas coach Sam Pittman for the improvement the Razorbacks have made this season, saying that Pittman’s really worked hard to turn things around in Fayetteville.

“Sam Pittman has done a fantastic job, I think, with this team in the two years that he’s been there,” Saban said Monday during his weekly press conference. “They’re probably as improved as much from last year to this year as anybody in the country. They’ve had some great wins over some very good SEC teams. They’ve got really good players.”