ESPN analyst breaks down what needs to happen for Alabama to reach CFP: touchdown Alabama

Will McLelland-USA TODAY Sports

Alabama football should never have been in a situation where it needed scenarios and chaos to get into the College Football Playoff, but it has an opportunity to sneak its way into the 12-team dance through the back door.

The Crimson Tide took care of business against Auburn last week and got help from Clemson and Miami, who lost.

Alabama has a chance to reach CFP ahead of second-to-last place

Alabama is ranked No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Poll. New CFP Committee rankings will be released on the Tuesday before conference championship week. The Tide is not competing for a Southeastern Conference title, but a loss to an Atlantic Coast Conference team in its conference title game opens the door for Alabama to make the playoffs. Media pundits have started the conversation about the Tide needing Southern Methodist University (SMU) to beat the Clemson Tigers in the ACC Championship Game for Alabama to get in. ESPN’s Tom Luginbill was on The Next Round on Monday and detailed the scenario for the Tide to make the GFP. He agrees the Tide needs SMU to win this week.

What has to happen to that @AlabamaFTBL to make it to the College Football Playoff? pic.twitter.com/bedZXAo8lg

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) December 2, 2024

The debate the committee will hold is between Alabama and South Carolina. South Carolina is ranked 13th with a record of 9-3 and has quality wins against Texas A&M and Clemson. The Gamecocks finished their regular season with a six-game winning streak.

Alabama has the same record as the Gamecocks, but defeated South Carolina in a head-to-head matchup.

ESPN playoff expert explains the main reason the committee will choose Miami over Alabama

The Tide earned a 27-25 victory over the Gamecocks at Saban Field in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama has quality wins against Georgia, LSU, South Carolina and Missouri. Three of the four teams are currently ranked in the top 25. Alabama also has quality losses to a ranked Tennessee, a bowl-eligible Vanderbilt team and a bowl-eligible Oklahoma team.

We’ll see how the CFP committee feels on Tuesday, but Luginbill has Alabama in play if SMU wins the ACC title.

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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Landing Alabama Magazine. You can “like” it. Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter via @CoachingMSmith.

Stephen Smith is a 2015 graduate of the University of Alabama. He is a senior writer and reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He has been covering Alabama football for 15 years, and his knowledge and coverage of the Crimson Tide program has made him one of the most respected journalists in his field. Smith has been featured as an analyst on ESPN and several other major networks.