Is Alabama out of the playoff? Explaining Crimson Tide's CFP chances after SEC loss to Oklahoma

One way or another, the SEC was going to see a shake-up in Week 12.

With No. 11 Oklahoma taking on No. 4 Alabama, and No. 10 Texas facing No. 5 Georgia, the playoff picture within the conference was about to get much clearer. The first of those two games, Sooners vs. Crimson Tide, saw Brent Venables’ squad come out on top, 23-21.

While the win for Oklahoma is a huge boost to its College Football Playoff push, Alabama now faces more questions with only two regular-season games remaining.

Can the Crimson Tide still make the 2025 CFP bracket? Here’s an updated look at their chances after falling to Oklahoma.

MORE: Updated SEC standings and tiebreaker scenarios

Is Alabama out of the playoff?

Alabama's loss to Oklahoma on Saturday will hurt its chances of potentially appearing in the SEC Championship game, and therefore earning a first-round bye in the CFP, but the Crimson Tide shouldn't be considered too much in peril of falling out of the 12-team field.

Two losses in the SEC aren't enough to remove a team from the playoff picture in the new era, especially for an Alabama squad that has beaten four ranked SEC teams: Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Tennessee. The Crimson Tide entered Week 12 on an eight-game win streak, among the hottest teams in the country.

Assuming Alabama can win out, with games scheduled against Eastern Illinois and Auburn, Kalen DeBoer's squad should rank among the top contenders for an at-large bid if it can't sneak past Georgia or Ole Miss to appear in the conference championship. While the season-opening loss to FSU was rough, the Crimson Tide have bounced back since then, beating all of their SEC opponents until facing Oklahoma on Saturday.

The main consequence of Alabama's loss is that the squad likely won't play in the SEC title game and will be unable to secure a playoff bye. However, the committee will likely still project Alabama as an at-large playoff team this coming week.

MORE: Revisiting Alabama's loaded 2015 coaching staff 

SEC teams with two losses

The Crimson Tide, now owning losses to Florida State and Oklahoma, became the fourth SEC team with two losses this season, although Georgia and Ole Miss could still join that group Saturday night.

The committee will have some sorting to do among the two-loss squads in the SEC. Here are the teams in the conference with two losses this season, including the specifics of those two losses:

Alabama (8-2 overall, 6-1 in SEC)

• 31-17 loss to FSU in Week 1
• 23-21 loss to No. 11 Oklahoma in Week 12

Texas (7-2 overall, 4-1 in SEC)

• 14-7 loss to No. 3 Ohio State in Week 1
• 29-21 loss to Florida in Week 6

Vanderbilt (8-2 overall, 4-2 in SEC)

• 30-14 loss to No. 10 Alabama in Week 6
• 34-31 loss to No. 20 Texas in Week 10

Oklahoma (8-2 overall, 4-2 in SEC)

• 23-6 loss to Texas in Week 7
• 34-26 loss to No. 8 Ole Miss in Week 9

MORE: How Navy's win over USF shakes up the CFP race

SEC football standings

Here are the updated SEC standings following Oklahoma vs. Alabama on Saturday.

Oklahoma remaining schedule

Oklahoma is set to wrap up the regular season against a pair of unranked SEC teams in Missouri and LSU.

Alabama remaining schedule

The Crimson Tide will finish out their 2025 regular season with two favorable matchups, first taking on Eastern Illinois, then Auburn.