We are officially into week 9 of college football, and the playoff contention is getting spiced up. There’s a big volatility in the AP poll rankings, and every game has put their fans on the edge of their seats. With the first set of CFP rankings expected to be released by the first week of November, Urban Meyer named the second SEC program, after Texas, that he thinks will not make it into the playoffs. 

On the October 29 episode of The Triple Option, Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, and Rob Stone named their top three teams that will make it into the playoffs, days before the CFP rankings release. While listing the top three, Urban Meyer also named an SEC program that he thinks won’t make it into the playoffs, despite their great run. Meyer named the Ohio State Buckeyes, Indiana Hoosiers, and Texas A&M Aggies as his top three teams to get into the playoffs, declining the Alabama Crimson Tide. “I still can’t get over that loss to Florida State, or I would have Bama up there ahead of them,” Urban Meyer said on why he hasn’t had Alabama in his list.

Alabama, which entered the season carrying big hopes, lost its season opener to Florida State by 31-17. The program felt completely lost after the first drive, until the last quarter, handling the easy win against the Seminoles. This made Urban Meyer upset with the Crimson Tide from Week 1. Meyer called out if there are any ‘grown ass men’ in their locker room to fix their flaws. Since then, Alabama hasn’t lost since its season-opener at Florida State, and holds four wins over the ranked opponents, maintaining a 7-1 record.

They entered Week 9 being ranked No. 4 in the AP poll and No.2 in the SEC. As a team, they are No. 2 in strength of schedule and in the top 15 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Yet, Meyer feels insecure with Bama’s playoff chances. However, Mark Ingram II and Rob Stone have Alabama in their list. With that being said, the Crimson Tide are on a bye week, and their next game will be after November 4, that is, after the committee releases the first set of CFP rankings. 

Urban Meyer Ruled Out Texas from the Playoff Picture

Two weeks ago, on the October 8 episode of the Triple Option, Urban Meyer said that the Texas Longhorns are no longer in the playoff radar, after their 21-29 loss to the Florida Gators. Meyer said on Texas, “I’m guessing that, at the end of the year, it’ll be an 8/9 win for each of these teams. And they’ll go to some bowl game and try to go again.” He said that they’re not the same team as the last two seasons.

“This is going to go one of two ways. It’s not going to be medium,” Meyer said. “They’re either going to fall off the cliff and it’s going to be an embarrassment for both places, or they’ll fight back,” he added, about the road ahead for Texas. Although Texas hasn’t lost a game since then, with a 6-2 record, ranked No. 20, a tough schedule lies ahead.

Texas still has three ranked opponents in the rest of the schedule, including the No.9 Vanderbilt, No. 5 Georgia, and No.3 Texas A&M. This makes the road tough to earn their spot in the playoffs. We need to wait and watch if any of the teams Meyer mentioned can manage to enter the postseason.