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Where Alabama stands in penultimate College Football Playoff rankings

1918632_10206777287683070_1367905321192383146_nby: Charlie Potter12/04/24Charlie_Potter

The latest College Football Playoff top-25 rankings were revealed on Tuesday night on ESPN, and Alabama checked in at No. 11 in the penultimate poll of the 2024 football season.

The Crimson Tide (9-3, 5-3 SEC) was ranked ahead of both South Carolina (No. 14) and Miami (No. 12), which helps its postseason hopes. Entering conference championship week, Alabama seemingly needs No. 8 SMU to defeat No. 17 Clemson in the ACC title game to earn a spot in the first-ever, 12-team playoff field. That is the clearest postseason path.

If the playoff were today, Alabama – the No. 11 seed – would travel to play at No. 6 Notre Dame in a first-round matchup. The winner would advance to the quarterfinals in a New Year’s Six bowl. But again, UA still needs more to happen in order to reach the playoffs. Should Clemson beat SMU, however, the chances of reaching the postseason become harder.

On its resume, Alabama has wins over three teams that are currently ranked among the top 25 – No. 5 Georgia, No. 14 South Carolina and No. 19 Missouri. Two of its three losses, however, are to unranked Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, with the other coming to No. 7 Tennessee.

Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer shared his pitch for why Alabama deserves to be in.

“I think we have all those character traits that you need as a team,” DeBoer said on the Pat McAfee Show. “We have the explosiveness, we have the physicality. We’re very balanced as a football team. When I see championship teams – and I just, a year ago, saw what that looked like – I think about what’s inside and who you are as a team and also what you have as far as athletes on the football field and what that looks like in all the different phases.

“We have some strong strengths and a quarterback that is as good as anyone in the country. He’s elite, and any time he’s got the ball in his hand, you’ve got a chance to hit a home run, both with his legs and his arm. Up front, offensive line and defensive line, I think we’re what you’re looking for when it comes to playing at that championship level, and that’s why I feel like we’re one of those teams that is for sure good enough to be in the final 12.”

The 12-team playoff field will be unveiled on Sunday, December 8, at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.

College Football Playoff rankings, December 3

1. Oregon
2. Texas
3. Penn State
4. Notre Dame
5. Georgia
6. Ohio State
7. Tennessee
8. SMU
9. Indiana
10. Boise State
11. Alabama
12. Miami
13. Ole Miss
14. South Carolina
15. Arizona State
16. Iowa State
17. Clemson
18. BYU
19. Missouri
20. UNLV
21. Illinois
22. Syracuse
23. Colorado
24. Army
25. Memphis

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