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Greg McElroy believes Alabama's best path to College Football Playoff revolves around ACC comparison

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh11/26/24griffin_mcveigh
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer (Will McLelland / USA TODAY Sports)

When Alabama suffered its third loss against Oklahoma, the easy assumption was their College Football Playoff hopes were over. A path to the SEC Championship closed up and getting in as an at-large seemed nearly impossible. But ESPN’s Greg McElroy still sees a path for the Crimson Tide to make the 12-team field.

“I think the best chance for them is for the committee to take Alabama’s resume and measure it against the runner-up in the ACC,” McElroy said. “That’s what, I think, it might come down to. Right now, will the committee favor SMU or Miami if they’re 11-2 and the ACC runner-up? Or will they have 9-3 Alabama, assuming they win this weekend? That’s what, I think, the big conversation to be had on Selection Sunday.”

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Of course, this is coming ahead of Tuesday’s latest CFP rankings. The committee very well could drop Alabama far enough to where even the most chaotic weekend slate is not enough. Upsets such as Vanderbilt over Tennessee would at least be helpful. Texas A&M being eliminated from the picture by losing to Texas was also mentioned by the ESPN analyst.

But McElroy believes an ACC comparison could wind up being the deciding factor.

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SMU is already locked into the ACC title game. Either Miami or Clemson will join them in Charlotte. Mario Cristobal‘s team will go if they can beat Syracuse in their season finale. Otherwise, the Tigers will have an opportunity to once again win the conference they have dominated in recent years.

McElroy uses SMU and Miami in his scenario, guaranteeing the ACC runner-up to have multiple losses. Yes, two blemishes isn’t more than three but Alabama certainly would have better wins than either of the ACC programs. It’s about how the committee views them head-to-head.

Alabama has a tough rivalry game against Auburn on deck, needing to win in order to have this potential scenario even come to life. A 12-team field really expands who can compete for a national championship and quality wins such as Georgia and South Carolina may greatly help the the Crimson Tide.