After Saturday’s SEC championship, Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama might be staring down a path few saw coming, one that could finally free the committee from one of the CFP’s stickiest controversies.

Georgia steamrolled the Crimson Tide 28-7 in a masterclass of dominance, leaving Alabama’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread. Although the CFP chatter has been dominated by Notre Dame sneaking ahead of Miami despite matching 10-2 records. But Alabama’s stumble gives the committee a chance to make a bold move, and it might just cost the Tide a spot in the playoffs.

While ESPN’s FPI gave the Tide a 96.3% chance to make the playoff, Kalen DeBoer’s squad entered SEC championship weekend with a solid resume. It included four wins over top-25 teams like Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt, paired with an 11th-ranked strength of schedule. Interestingly, the CFP committee gave them breathing room, moving them up to No. 9 in the fifth top-25 release. But now the decisive loss to Georgia changed the narrative.

Remember, CFP committee chair Hunter Yurachek made it clear the conference title results will weigh heavily.

“We will judge all of the conference championship games when they are completed and rank the teams accordingly,” said Yurachek.

Although Alabama could make history as the first three-loss team in the CFP era. But one of those losses, a 31-17 blowout at FSU in Week 1, was nothing short of embarrassing. Yet, FSU’s only other wins this season came against East Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Kent State, and Wake Forest. That doesn’t exactly scream elite competition, and the Tide’s finish didn’t help either.

In the final 4 games, the Crimson Tide fell at home to Oklahoma 23-21, barely beat Auburn 27-20, scraped by Eastern Illinois, and then had this Georgia loss. Now Alabama’s CFP fate rests on the SEC finale. Can the committee overlook a loss like this, or will the Tide’s chances vanish under the shadow of Georgia’s dominance?

Although in 2024, only one team, Clemson, reached the CFP with three losses. But that came with a conference title, not an at-large bid. That precedent shows the CFP committee could favor champions over a faltering Tide, leaving Bama’s path anything but guaranteed.

There is another perspective too.

Heading into championship weekend, it looked impossible for both Notre Dame and Miami to fit in a 12-team field, unless Alabama got dropped entirely. Although the committee hates pulling that lever. But after watching the Tide get steamrolled by the Bulldogs, it might be the only way to avoid a CFP controversy for the ages.

No doubt, skipping Alabama would be dramatic, and it would defy precedent: teams aren’t supposed to be penalized for losing a conference title game, especially after wins over top-15 opponents. But the case is hard to ignore. In this crucial scenario, here’s what Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer had to say about the SEC title game loss.

Kalen DeBoer’s take on the Georgia loss

On Saturday, in the loss to Georgia, QB Ty Simpson struggled under pressure, completing just 19 of 39 passes for 212 yards. He was sacked three times as Georgia’s front line overpowered Alabama’s. They dominated three quarters and shut down everything the Crimson Tide tried. The loss drops Alabama to 10-3 and leaves its CFP hopes hanging by a thread. Still, Kalen DeBoer isn’t sweating just yet.

“It starts with continuity in practice,” said DeBoer on Simpson. “You have a lack of execution in games because you probably didn’t have everyone out together in practice.”

Then on the blocked punt, the Alabama head coach noted, “There was a new guy in there replacing LT Overton who missed his check.”

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Despite the loss, DeBoer didn’t mince words about the team’s focus.

“If this game applies and takes away from our resume, I don’t think that’s right,” he said. “If we’re really worried about the score, probably don’t punt it from your own 11… We’re here to win the SEC Championship. We can’t get worried about how much we lose by.”

While the head coach is confident in his squad’s fight, the bigger question now is whether the committee will take notice or if it could cost them their CFP appearance.