Alabama misses out on College Football Playoff bracket, fans cheer
The Alabama Crimson Tide faced disappointment on Sunday as they were left out of the College Football Playoff bracket after Clemson secured the No. 12 seed and SMU received an at-large bid. Despite being ranked No. 11 last week, Alabama had no opportunity to improve their standing as they had no game to play on Saturday.
Fans and college football enthusiasts were surprised by the committee’s decision to exclude Alabama, especially after a late pitch from athletics director Greg Byrne. Byrne emphasized the team’s strength of schedule, pointing out that six of their eight wins came against bowl-eligible teams, including SEC champion Georgia. He also highlighted Alabama’s impressive opponents’ winning percentage and their three wins against teams in the College Football Top 25 poll.
The Crimson Tide finished the season with a 9-3 record, facing some tough losses along the way. This year marked the first time the College Football Playoff expanded to a 12-team field, up from the previous four-team format.
Alabama’s absence from the playoff is a stark contrast to last year when they made it to the postseason but fell to No. 1 Michigan in a close game. The loss marked the end of an era as head coach Nick Saban retired, passing the torch to new head coach Kalen DeBoer for the 2024 season.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on the playoff, Alabama fans can look forward to a promising future under DeBoer’s leadership. As the team regroups and prepares for the next season, the college football world will be watching to see if the Crimson Tide can reclaim their spot among the nation’s top teams.
