Alabama is IN: Tide makes College Football Playoff after winning SEC
Alabama is in.
The Crimson Tide’s win over then-No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game was enough to propel Alabama into the College Football Playoff field, as the selection committee announced the Tide is one of the top four teams for its postseason tournament on Sunday.
Becoming the first team to rise from lower than No. 6 in the penultimate CFP rankings to reach the playoff field, No. 4 Alabama (12-1, 8-0 SEC) will play No. 1 Michigan (13-0, 9-0 Big Ten) in the Rose Bowl semifinal in Pasadena, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 1. (4 p.m. CT on ESPN).
The Crimson Tide edged out No. 5 Florida State, an undefeated ACC champ who is without its quarterback due to injury. CFP chair Boo Corrigan explained the committee’s decision.
“Florida State is a different team than they were through the first 11 weeks,” Corrigan said on ESPN. “Coach (Mike) Norvell, their players, their fans, an incredible season.
“But as you look at who they are as a team right now, without Jordan Travis, without the offensive dynamic that he brings to it, they are a different team, and the committee voted Alabama four and Florida State five.”
Alabama holds the record for the most games played (13) and wins (9) in the history of the CFP. The Crimson Tide is also the only team to have appeared in seven of the nine College Football Playoffs. Alabama has gone 6-1 in playoff semifinal matchups and owns a 3-3 mark in CFP National Championship Games, claiming national titles in 2015, 2017 and 2020.
This will be the Crimson Tide’s eighth appearance in the Rose Bowl and third time under head coach Nick Saban. The previous two were a national championship game against Texas in 2010 and a semifinal against Notre Dame in 2021 (in Arlington). Alabama won both.
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Shortly after the rankings were unveiled, Saban joined ESPN to discuss the Tide getting in.
“It was a tough night. I didn’t sleep a lot because there’s a lot of good teams out there,” Saban said. “Florida State is certainly a good team, and to go undefeated in there in league, it’s unfortunate that some good team had to be left out.
“But I really think that our team earned the right to be here. They beat No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, they’ve worked hard all year to improve and I’m really proud of what they’ve been able to accomplish together as a team.”
This will mark the sixth-ever meeting between Alabama and Michigan, two of the most storied programs in college football history. The Crimson Tide owns a 3-2 edge in the all-time series and has won the last two matchups during Saban’s tenure as the head coach.
The other semifinal matchup will pit No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Texas against each other in the Sugar Bowl. The two semifinal winners will play for a national title in Houston on Jan. 8.
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