Kalen DeBoer makes case for Alabama to make CFP even with SEC Championship loss

Kalen DeBoer made the case for Alabama to make the College Football Playoff, even if the Crimson Tide lose the SEC Championship. They are scheduled to take on Georgia in a rematch in Atlanta and Alabama already owns a head to head win over the Bulldogs.

But a loss for Alabama would give them a third loss and there seems to be some pause on whether that’s going to be good enough to make the CFP. Especially when you consider teams like 10-2 Vanderbilt, 9-3 Texas, as well as 11-1 BYU and 10-2 Miami who are on the outside looking in.

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t have anything prescribed,” DeBoer said. “The things that come right now is we’re in the championship game with a 7-1 record. Won four conference games on the road in the toughest conference. I mean, it’s the toughest conference in the country. For us to be in this spot and to do what we do, won 10 of our last 11 games… You can get into a lot more details on it. I just think when you’re really trying to have a Playoff, you need your best teams in there. There’s no doubt in my mind that we are one of the best teams.

“I don’t say that arrogantly. I just really believe that’s what it is. There’s a ton of metrics I know people look at: strength of record, FPI. We’re right at the top. Especially if you’re even considering us to even be a bubble team, we definitely are above those teams that are in that realm as far as those bubble teams. Playing in your conference championship in the SEC shouldn’t be something that we’re worried about as far as what that would do to our Playoff hopes. We got here by earning it.”

Kalen DeBoer confident in Alabama for postseason

So how does Alabama beat Georgia a second time? It’s quite a difficult task. But if they do it, Alabama should get a first round bye in the bracket.

“Yeah, I think anytime personally your experiences that you have that give you reasoning for whatever it might be,” DeBoer said. “You just stated the case that I have as far as people can say one thing, it’s hard to beat a team twice. Well, the game’s going to be played. How do you prepare to be your best? What is it that you got to continue to do?

“A lot of it comes down to what I said earlier: you know what you are as a team, you have your identity, you hang your hat on that. You just go play the game. You go play with confidence. You go play because you love the challenge. You love the environment that you’re going to get to be a part of.”