Heather Dinich: Why a SEC championship doesn't guarantee Alabama a College Football Playoff bid

There is a general expectation that the winner of the SEC Championship Game is going to make the College Football Playoff. However, ESPN reporter Heather Dinich says that wouldn’t guarantee Alabama a Playoff bid.

During an appearance on Get Up, Dinich explained that both Texas and Florida State present issues for Alabama when it comes to making the Playoff.

“I think that’s pushing it a little bit,” Heather Dinich said. “Alabama needs to beat Georgia and the best path forward for the Tide would be to have Texas lose or have Florida State lose.”

In Week 2, Alabama lost badly to Texas at home. That loss has hung with the Crimson Tide all season long, consistently being ranked behind the Longhorns in the CFP rankings. A win over Georgia would be huge for Alabama’s resume, but it wouldn’t guarantee jumping Texas or an unbeaten Florida State team.

“Because if you have Texas lose then you no longer have to worry about that head-to-head result in Tuscaloosa in Week 2. If Texas wins, the selection committee has a very difficult decision between Alabama strength of schedule, which would include a win against the committee’s number one team and the Texas head-to-head win in Week 2.”

Importantly, Heather Dinich did note that the committee doesn’t weigh its criteria. That means it’s hard to say what this year’s committee will see as more valuable.

“Those are not weighted. It means something different to each committee member.”

Ultimately, it would help both Alabama and Texas if Florida State lost to Louisville. That would make it easier to open up a spot for both teams.

“But then, on the flip side, you’ve got Alabama if Florida State loses you could have Alabama and Texas in there together. That would be a much easier solution for the selection committee.”

CFP committee considers recency bias in Texas-Alabama debate, head-to-head meaningful

There is a big debate between Alabama and Texas as it relates to the College Football Playoff. With that in mind, CFP selection committee chair Boo Corrigan emphasized that head-to-head is meaningful and warned against recency bias.

“Head-to-head is head-to-head, no matter when the game is played, and that’s how we look at it. Yeah, same thing. Again, it is close. As we look at it, you can look at any part of what we’re doing when you get here in the different groupings and everything that we do, but two really good teams that have had really good years, done a great job by Sark [Steve Sarkisian] and by Coach [Nick] Saban, and we’ll just continue to evaluate,” Corrigan said.

“Yeah, we make sure that we do talk about that. That’s something that is brought up and made sure. Specifically, I remember the conversation of some teams lost early, some teams lost in the middle, some teams lost late, and making sure that we’re checking all that at the door as we go through this and looking at everything and looking at — 13 weeks is what’s important. And from the very beginning of the committee, the first, second, third week matters as much as it does at the end, but you’ve got to look at overall where they are after 13 weeks.”