Heather Dinich weighs in on whether Alabama can reach CFP

Heather Dinich continued SEC Football Finals and discussed what may be the hottest topic in college football next week.

Make this perhaps the most contentious topic as we approach Selection Sunday: Will a three-loss Alabama team sneak into the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, or will the Crimson Tide be left out of Kalen DeBoer’s first season ?

Alabama took care of Auburn on Saturday, ending a difficult 9-3 regular season that included road losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide also had good wins against Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri and LSU, so that’s something to consider.

Dinich’s projected playoff rankings currently have Alabama as an underdog, with SEC champion Texas, Georgia and Tennessee occupying the field. But Dinich also believes a bit of chaos on championship weekend could rock the boat a bit before Selection Sunday and is exactly what Alabama needs to clinch a spot after all.

“It would require Clemson to beat SMU (in the ACC Championship Game), SMU to be eliminated (from the 12-team bracket) and Alabama to get in,” Dinich said during an appearance on the SEC Network. “Because right now, Alabama is my 12th-ranked team, but they would be eliminated from the College Football Playoff because Arizona State would be the fifth-ranked conference champion and eliminate the Tide.

“That goes back to the discussion about who the committee’s top three-loss team will be, and I kept it for Alabama, (followed by) Ole Miss (and then) South Carolina.”

It was a wild end to November in college football @CFBHeather joins in @ESPNDari to discuss expectations for the latest CFP rankings and which SEC teams will make the playoffs pic.twitter.com/wQmnWgw6aN

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 1, 2024

Alabama narrowly beat South Carolina, prevailing 27-25 in Tuscaloosa in October, just before the Gamecocks ended the regular season on a six-game winning streak. Alabama didn’t play Ole Miss that season, and Ole Miss beat South Carolina 27-3 in Columbia – again just before the Gamecocks turned into a buzzsaw and ended the regular season.

As for Alabama, things will be nervous next week in Tuscaloosa as the Crimson Tide have no control over their playoff fate.