ESPN analyst Greg McElroy pushed back against the growing narrative that Alabama’s Playoff hopes evaporated with its 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship.
After calling the ACC title game on Saturday night, the former Crimson Tide quarterback argued Alabama should still be “comfortably in” the 12-team College Football Playoff field — even with a third loss. The graphic displayed while discussing the teams broke down who still had a chance come Sunday afternoon.
Much of the debate centers on Notre Dame and Miami, the two teams sitting directly behind Alabama in the latest rankings. The Crimson Tide moved up to No. 9 entering championship weekend. McElroy believes was intentional in anticipation of a possible loss. He cited last season’s precedent with SMU, which made the CFP after falling in the ACC Championship.
“The committee did this last year,” McElroy said. “They will not be overly penal to a team that is forced to participate in a conference championship game. They do not want to de-incentivize conference championship participation.”
Although Alabama’s defeat was far more decisive than SMU’s 34-31 loss to Clemson, McElroy insists margin won’t be enough to knock the Tide out. Alabama’s resume, particularly its 2-2 record against Top 25 teams, matches the combined totals for Miami and Notre Dame. What should be discussed further is Alabama's losses against Florida State, Oklahoma and now Georgia.
McElroy acknowledged Miami’s head-to-head win over Notre Dame will spark heated debate, especially with BYU likely to fall and compress the rankings. But he maintained Alabama remains safely inside the cut line.
Ultimately, the committee will reveal its final verdict Sunday at noon ET. Until then, the complicated arguments will define the final spots in the expanded Playoff field.
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