Kirk Herbstreit: If they both win out, there's no way Alabama goes ahead of Texas

When the College Football Playoff rankings debut, the selection committee set the precedent when it came to Alabama and Texas. They valued the head-to-head matchup, with the Longhorns winning in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 9. While they later dropped a game to Oklahoma and the two might have similar resumes, the game mattered.

But what about if the final CFP spot comes down to Alabama and Texas? Both would have to win their conference but Nick Saban‘s team would be fresh off a win against Georgia, a team likely to be in the top four at the time. It’s hard to imagine the committee leaving out the SEC champion in any scenario.

Well, at least for ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, there is no debate. If the final spot comes down to Alabama or Texas, he knows who he would pick.

“If Texas wins out and Alabama wins out — there is no way Alabama is going ahead of Texas,” Herbstreit said. “So, I don’t know what’s going to happen around them but could you imagine if Alabama were to knock off Georgia and Texas were to win the Big 12? What the heck do you do about Alabama?… There’s no way Texas is going to be left out if they win out and Alabama winds up being the SEC champ.”

In the nine years of the four-team College Football Playoff, never has the SEC been absent. Alabama and Georgia have been mainstays, while LSU has a national championship of their own. If you go back to the first-ever rankings back in 2014, Mississippi State, Auburn, and Ole Miss were all inside the top four.

There are even multiple occasions of the SEC having two representatives. Both Alabama and Georgia participated following the 2017 and 2021 seasons. They went on to face off in the national championship too, splitting those.

Herbstreit believes history can be thrown out the window if the final spot comes down to Alabama and Texas. From his perspective, there is an avenue where not just Alabama misses the playoff but the SEC too.

Now, he did add there is more of a debate if Alabama is going up against a potential one-loss Pac-12 champion (Oregon or Washington). He did not take a side but believes there could be arguments made for both sides.

It would likely come down to who’s resume stacks up the best and the famous eye test.