Mark Ingram doubles down on Alabama not deserving to be in College Football Playoff

Just days before the latest class of Heisman Trophy finalists were announced, Alabama‘s first-ever Heisman winner didn’t pull any punches when it comes to his alma mater’s placement in this year’s College Football Playoffs.

Ahead of Saturday night’s Big Ten Championship, FOX analyst and former Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram publicly declared No. 9 Alabama should be “out” of the Playoffs following its lopsided 28-7 loss to No. 3 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game earlier Saturday.

“Conference championships matter. … I’ve got too much Bama in me, but you’re out,” Ingram said during FOX’s pregame show Saturday. “Now, Miami and Notre Dame should both get in, in my opinion.”

Of course, the CFP selection committee didn’t agree with Ingram and kept the Crimson Tide at No. 9 despite the loss in Atlanta before boosting the Hurricanes to No. 10, leapfrogging the Fighting Irish for Playoff’s final at-large bid on Selection Sunday. The next day, Ingram doubled down on his belief Alabama didn’t deserve a bid just based on Saturday’s performance, but made it clear he still supports his alma mater now that they’re firmly in the 2025 Playoff field.

“I think people misunderstood me. … I want Alabama in the Playoff. Do I think they belong there after that performance? No, I did not,” Ingram said during Monday’s episode of The Triple Option podcast with co-hosts Urban Meyer and Rob Stone. “… So me being unbiased, obviously the way they performed, BYU was out of the way. The way Alabama performed, I thought they would get dinged and be out, but I also understand the committee setting the precedent that championship games do matter. But also, BYU is out (after) losing to the No. 4 team (Texas Tech) two times, so why that precedent wasn’t set for the Big 12 (matters) as well. So, there’s still a lot of questions.”

What’s not in question is Ingram’s love for his alma mater, and after further clarifying his thinking Saturday, the Crimson Tide’s 2009 Heisman Trophy winner celebrated Alabama’s inclusion into the 12-team Playoff field, even if it came at the Fighting Irish’s expense.

“I think they made the right decision. Head-to-head matters, putting Miami in over Notre Dame. But at the end of the day, Alabama, I felt, the way they performed with a third loss — there’s never been a non-conference champion with three losses in the CFP — so I thought the committee would possibly ding them and leave them out,” Ingram continued. “I’m glad they’re in, they get a rematch against Oklahoma. I understand they had a lot injuries. I understand they got their butt whooped by 21 points in the SEC Championship. But hey, Roll Tide. We’re still alive.

“(Now) we’ve got Playoff season, man. … So Notre Dame gets the short end of the stick here, but, hey, Roll Damn Tide. Roll Damn Tide, we in it. I didn’t think we were going to be, but we’re in it.”