The coaches’ poll shows the playoff committee how to rank Alabama football

The final 2024 regular season coaches poll ranks Alabama football where it should be compared to some other playoff contenders. The Dec. 1 coaches poll ranks SMU, Indiana and Boise State ahead of Alabama because they have just one loss. A strong argument can be made that the strength of the game plan (SOS) of these three teams does not justify their high rankings. The SOS for the Hoosiers is No. 65; SMU is No. 75 and Boise State is No. 86; compared to the Alabama Crimson Tide ranked 16th.

So far, the CFP selection committee has only paid lip service to SOS. With the regular season over, it’s time for the committee to adapt or risk losing credibility. SOS is just a data point. For an undefeated Oregon team, an SOS of No. 60 doesn’t matter much. Rightly or wrongly, the committee is unwilling to punish Notre Dame and Penn State with one loss each for their unimpressive SOS rankings. Penn State is a reasonable No. 36 seed, while the Fighting Irish are No. 57.

The SOS benefit of the doubt should be reversed if the selection committee rates the losing teams in second and third place. Teams that should be rewarded for their SOS include Alabama Football at No. 16; South Carolina at No. 15 and Ohio State at No. 26. Teams that should be penalized (along with Indiana, SMU and Boise State) are Miami at No. 55; Iowa State at No. 68 and Arizona State at No. 72.

The Coach Survey provides a guide for the selection committee to consider. The top 17 teams are 1) Oregon; 2) Texas; 3) Penn State; 4) Notre Dame; 5) Georgia; 6) Tennessee; 7) SMU; 8) Ohio State; 9) Indiana; 10) Boise State; 11) Alabama; 12) South Carolina; 13) Arizona State; 14)Miami; 15) Old Miss; 16) Iowa State; 17) Clemson.

The coaches poll correctly rates Miami as having two losses and zero wins. If the selection committee scores like the coaches’ poll, an SMU win over Clemson in the ACC Championship Game would mean Alabama football would enter the playoffs as the No. 12 seed.