Steve Spurrier does not believe Alabama brand will punch College Football Playoff ticket
Even with three losses, Alabama finds itself still in the College Football Playoff race. Some help will be needed from the committee and throughout championship weekend but the Crimson Tide could be the final at-large team. Certainly not what anybody expected after a massive defeat to Oklahoma in Week 13.
That specific loss has some people thinking Alabama should be nowhere near the CFP. If they were to get in, the committee would be seeing the program’s brand and giving the benefit of the doubt. Not Steve Spurrier, though.
“Some people say their brand will get them in there,” Spurrier said. “I don’t think it will.”
Seemingly every single year, Alabama found a way to get into the four-team field. Last season was a massive jump over undefeated Florida State after winning the SEC Championship vs. Georgia. Go back to the 2017 season, where Nick Saban‘s squad wound up hoisting the trophy, and Alabama did not even win the SEC West that year.
Eight of the 10 College Football Playoffs have included Alabama.
Going back to this season, two other SEC teams are potentially fighting for the final spot — Ole Miss and South Carolina. Spurrier does have a dog in the race, being the Gamecocks former head coach. He pointed to Alabama’s loss against Oklahoma when comparing it to two of the losses South Carolina has suffered this year.
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“They lost to Oklahoma, who got clobbered by LSU,” Spurrier said. “And they’re 6-6, Oklahoma is a 6-6 team. South Carolina had two, kinda, heartbreaking losses against LSU and then the Alabama game was a two-point loss. Anyway.”
Of course, there is a chance none of those three SEC teams make it into the 12-team field. What the committee does with Miami, 10-2 overall and fresh off a loss to Syracuse, could squash any argument made for Alabama, Ole Miss, or South Carolina.
But Spurrier appears certain of one thing — if Alabama does get into the CFP, it will not be because of the brand and previous accomplishments.