Kirk Herbstreit believes Texas is a 'roadblock' for Alabama in College Football Playoff rankings

For the fourth week in a row, Alabama is ranked No. 8 in the College Football Playoff. Stuck behind two other one-loss teams — Oregon and Texas — the Crimson Tide have arguably played their best football since the rankings came out. Even so, Nick Saban has not seen his team move up a spot.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit tried to explain why there has been a lack of movement for Alabama, citing the loss in Tuscaloosa against Texas back in Week 2. The CFP committee has valued the head-to-head result since their debut rankings and nothing has changed.

Oregon continuing to blow opponents out has not helped their cause either. But for the most part, Texas staying the course and earning a 10-1 record to this point is preventing Alabama from inching closer to the top four.

“That win in Tuscaloosa, it’s kind of their trump card over Alabama,” Herbstreit said. “I think what this tells you is that the committee really respects what’s happening above these teams. Normally, you would think Nick Saban and Alabama get the benefit of the doubt. But Texas is kind of that roadblock for them. And Oregon continues to not just win but dominate people every week they play.”

Assuming both Alabama and Texas win on Saturday, you have to assume the roadblock will stay put. An Iron Bowl win at Jordan-Hare Stadium is no easy task but based on the current state of Auburn, it’s not enough to move the needle.

Texas will be playing host to Texas Tech on Black Friday, hoping to close out the regular season with a win and officially clinch a spot in the Big 12 Championship.

Maybe the SEC Championship is where Alabama can finally leapfrog Texas. Can the head-to-head be nullified by taking down the No. 1 team in the country? It’s an interesting hypothetical for sure, no matter what Texas does in Arlington. After all, nobody has been able to take down Georgia since Alabama did during the 2021 SEC Championship game.

But for now, it’s nothing but a hypothetical. There has to be frustration coming out of Tuscaloosa with their ranking over the past few weeks while stacking up nice wins. Based on the committee’s top 25, LSU and Tennessee are considered ranked wins, while Texas only has one against Kansas State.

An interesting final two weeks of games are ahead before the committee has final decisions to make.