Mark Ingram declares Alabama out of College Football Playoff after SEC Championship loss

Championship weekend presented plenty of intrigue ahead of the final College Football Playoff rankings release, and a key result took place in the SEC Championship. Georgia dominated Alabama in the 28-7 victory, leading to questions about whether the 9th-ranked Crimson Tide will still make the 12-team field.

Former Alabama star Mark Ingram made his stance clear during FOX’s Big Ten Championship pregame show. He declared the Crimson Tide out of the field, paving the way for both Miami and Notre Dame to make it.

Ingram acknowledged the fact Alabama played an extra game by making the SEC Championship. But he argued teams still have to play well in conference title games to avoid being out of the College Football Playoff. In the cases of the Crimson Tide and BYU in the Big 12, Ingram said neither team should make it.

“Conference championships matter,” Ingram said. “But you’ve got to play well in the conference championship. BYU lost by 27, you’re out. Bama, you played Georgia in the SEC Championship and lose by 21? I’ve got too much Bama in me, but you’re out. Now, Miami and Notre Dame should both get in, in my opinion. I think that’s the decision that the committee’s going to have to make because we have two bad losses in a championship game.

“You have to play well in the championship game not to get punished [by] it. You play bad in the championship game, you get punished by it. Now, I think BYU, Bama’s out. I think Notre Dame and Miami’s in. I think that’s what you have to do.”

Inside the Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami debate

The debate around Alabama, Notre Dame and Miami is sure to continue through Sunday’s rankings reveal show. They all had 10-2 records during the regular season, but Alabama dropped to 10-3 with its SEC title game loss.

The Fighting Irish and Hurricanes, of course, played during the regular season – a Week 1 game which Miami won. But neither team played during conference championship weekend while Alabama played against Georgia in the SEC title game. It’s worth noting the Crimson Tide beat the Bulldogs in Athens during the regular season.

All three teams entered the weekend squarely on the CFP bubble. The No. 11 and No. 12 seeds are both to be filled by conference champions ranked outside the Top 12, meaning No. 10 was the cutoff for the bracket. The College Football Playoff selection committee will make its determinations after the conference title games, which will set the table for Sunday’s reveal show.