Can a team with three losses still make it to the newly-expanded 12-team College Football Playoffs? There’s a sliver of hope for some particular teams including Kalen DeBoer’s No. 11 Alabama who will face No. 15 LSU in a thrilling SEC showdown that will be covered by ESPN College GameDay. While nothing is certain, the Week 11 game will serve as a sort of playoff elimination game for some teams. 

Let’s hear it from CFB analyst Heather Dinich who appeared in a new YouTube episode on Arman The Intelligent on November 9 to discuss SEC teams’ playoff chances. When asked if a three-loss team can still make it to the playoffs, she said, “Possibly. One. And it’s Alabama. Only because what happens if Alabama loses to LSU but runs the table and Georgia wins the SEC and some other teams above them lose?”

Ahead of their matchup in Baton Rouge, both Alabama and LSU enter the game with similar 6-2 records. So, a loss would mean that their playoff hopes could be shattered. The Crimson Tide fall farther in the conference as they’re 3-2 in comparison to Brian Kelly and the Tigers’ 3-1. But we also need to remember that so far, Alabama is the only team to beat the SEC leader Georgia 41-34 in Week 5, being the Bulldogs’ lone defeat in their 7-1 record. 

Dinich also weighed in stats from the last ten years saying that “there have been 13 three-loss teams finishing in the top 10 on selection day.” However, it won’t help getting the hope up with great expectations as Dinich ended with a bleak prognosis saying, “As we sit here today, I think it’s a long shot outside looking in and either one of those teams that loses that LSU-Alabama game, they’re certainly going to be out of the playoff picture immediately.” So, who has the upper edge entering this crucial deciding game?

Alabama vs LSU – Week 11 game to watch

In their 13 meetings since 2012, Alabama has dominated the rivalry under Nick Saban with an 11-2 record. But what about their last meeting? The two SEC teams met in Baton Rouge two seasons ago where the Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide in a close 32-31 win. But according to FanDuel Sportsbook, Alabama enters the game as a 2.5-point favorite against LSU. 

LSU ranks in the bottom of the SEC in rushing offense with 115 yards per game. But Alabama’s poor run stop allowed 151 yards on the ground against SEC opponents this season. But the advantage for Kalen DeBoer and co. is that LSU left guard Garrett Dellinger won’t be playing due to an ankle injury. But still, it could be a close game, a real thriller as they battle for the spot in the College Football Playoff. And this game will also see the attandance of big names including No. 1 overall 5-star QB Bryce Underwood, an LSU commit of the 2025 class, whom Michigan is trying to flip. So, it’s going to be quite a thriller!