Paul Finebaum explains why Alabama is unlikely to make the College Football Playoff

During an appearance on KJM, ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum took on a number of different topics. That included his thoughts on Alabama and the fact that he thinks the Crimson Tide are officially a long shot to make it to the College Football Playoff.

Paul Finebaum said that he wouldn’t bet on Alabama being among those final four teams because they’ve lost their margin for error and still have a difficult schedule ahead, including the SEC East champion.

“Here’s the reason, they’ve lost their margin for error by losing to Tennessee,” Paul Finebaum said.

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“So, their schedule is this. A week from Saturday, at LSU. Dangerous, maybe not impossible. They’ll be the favorite. After that, they have Ole Miss. Then their season calms down a little bit. They finish with Auburn, which is a mess right now.”

As Paul Finebaum pointed out, there are still several challenges and no margin for error in the regular season for Alabama. However, the bigger problem then becomes the SEC Championship Game. Alabama would either have to play and beat Georgia or Tennessee. Either way, that’s an incredibly challenging game and a second loss would sink Alabama’s playoff hopes.

“But, they’ll have to play Georgia or Tennessee. I think if they end up with Georgia, they’ll have a hard time winning again. They could beat Tennessee at a neutral site. I don’t think, today, they could beat Alabama. So, that would possibly, more than likely, eliminate them,” Paul Finebaum said.

“There’s still a mathematical chance, depending on everyone else, but I wouldn’t give them a very high probability.”

Bryce Young is still a Heisman favorite

Alabama might not be in good shape to make the College Football Playoff, according to Paul Finebaum, but Bryce Young is still a phenomenal quarterback. Because of that, there is a good chance that Bryce Young wins the Heisman Trophy in back-to-back seasons without winning a national championship.

According to On3’s Matt Zenitz, Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker is the favorite to win the Heisman while Bryce Young is second on the list. He just has to keep thriving in big games.