Well, for now, Bama’s playoff fate is purely hanging over SMU’s next win or loss. Yes, you heard that right. If they win against Clemson, Alabama will definitely get that spot because they rank above Miami, Ole Miss, and South Carolina, but if Clemson wins over SMU, they get the direct ticket from the ACC, and then the Mustangs can take the last spot, eliminating Bama from the race. But is it fair that after winning 11 games this season, they have to fight it out with Bama, who only won 9 games? Even analyst Josh Pate thinks it’s not fair as he talks about it on the December 5th episode of the Next Round, saying,

“That if SMU loses, they’re going to put Alabama in; where I fall is on the other side. I think SMU should be in because I don’t believe in the punishment for the conference title. Here’s the thing: if SMU loses to Clemson and they drop them out, they’re not going to come on air and say we dropped them out and they lost the conference title game; they’re going to drop them, and then they’re going to say we dropped them because their resume doesn’t compare to Alabama’s.” That’s a straight fact. Alabama won against Georgia in the schedule but surprisingly lost to Tennessee, which is confusing.

Moreover, we can’t miss out on the fact that Alabama lost against Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, which were the must-win games for them. Even then, they are getting a chance to make their final play and get a definite spot in the league. If this is not favoritism, then what is? Even college football’s famous personalities saw it coming way before the rankings were out.

CFB world outrages over Alabama playoff bias

Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama getting favoritism in the playoffs bracket despite other teams running with the same record is something that has left fans scratching their heads. But how hard the committee members try to justify Bama’s presence with their tough schedule or the number of wins they have had, it’s the outcome of their brand value in college football. Even Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin saw it coming even before the playoff rankings got out. Surprising, right? A few days before the week 14 ranks were out, Coach Kiffin took to X to share reasons why Ole Miss should get a higher rank over Alabama.

Well, I can’t deny the fact that those were catchy points. Both the teams had their best win against Georgia, and when the Bulldogs beat Clemson, it was between the Rebels and Bama fighting for the spot. But the tiebreaker is when Ole Miss won against Oklahoma by 12 points, whereas Alabama lost against them by 21. But then Lane Kiffin said something that turned out right. “Clearly Ole Miss should be in the playoff over Alabama, but Bama is the bigger brand and more than likely will get in over Ole Miss.” We know that Bama is in 11th position, which gives them an edge in the Big 12 ranks, whereas Ole Miss is in 13th, which will ultimately take them out of the race.

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Now it all depends on SMU’s win over Clemson for Bama to get a spot in the playoffs, or the committee will still find any other way to fit them in the league.