Alabama vs. LSU: How Crimson Tide's Win Reshapes Playoff Picture
Alabama eked out a 20-13 overtime victory against rival LSU on Saturday, a win that should keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive for at least another week.
The result moves 'Bama to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the SEC. LSU drops to 7-3 overall and 3-3 in the SEC, well out of both the playoff and conference title pictures.
The Big Lead's Jason McIntyre noted several teams saw their playoff hopes washed away on Saturday, but Alabama wasn't one of them:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
This game established some semblance of order in the SEC, but it does little to alleviate the headache of the College Football Playoff selection committee, which at this point still has a multitude of one-loss teams to consider from the power conferences.
Florida State and Oregon should still make the College Football Playoff if they win out, although no one should dare sleep on Arizona State. The Sun Devils blew out Notre Dame 55-31 on Saturday and could very well dash the Ducks' playoff dreams if they meet in the Pac-12 title game.
The Crimson Tide's win creates desperation for the likes of TCU and Baylor, as only the winner of the Big 12 title is likely to get a playoff spot. The Bears hold the tiebreaker over the Horned Frogs by virtue of their 61-58 shootout win earlier this season. However, neither team could make the playoff if the committee selects two SEC squads, highly unlikely but still plausible after Alabama's win.
| 1 | Mississippi State (9-0, 6-0 SEC) |
| 2 | Florida State (9-0, 6-0 ACC) |
| 3 | Oregon (8-1, 4-1 Pac 12) |
| 4 | Alabama (8-1, 5-1 SEC) |
The win over a prestige opponent, combined with the Auburn Tigers' shocking loss to Texas A&M on Saturday, should vault Alabama into the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings. The win also creates some semblance of separation in the SEC West, as Alabama and Mississippi State are now the top two teams in the division.
Unfortunately, these two heavyweights must still play each other on Nov. 15. This game could very well determine who wins the SEC championship, and whether or not two teams from the conference make the College Football Playoff.
Should Alabama beat Mississippi State and go on to win the SEC Championship—very likely considering the notable flaws of Georgia and Missouri, two of the best SEC East teams—the Bulldogs could still earn a playoff spot with one loss and all the goodwill Dak Prescott and company have conjured up throughout the season.
If the Crimson Tide lose on November 15, the second loss would likely doom their playoff hopes and leave it to the Bulldogs to finish out the season strong and represent the SEC in the College Football Playoff.
Auburn can definitely spoil Alabama's chances if the Tigers defeat their bitter rival in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 29, leaving both teams with two losses and clearing the path for Mississippi State. It will be up to coach Nick Saban to keep his squad focused, so perhaps it's a good thing he was dismissive of the initial CFP rankings in late October. Via AL.com's Michael Casagrande:
"To me, none of it matters. What does it matter? I mean, it only matters where you end up at the end. So what matters to us is how we do in each and every game that we have to play. We have four games left to play, and if we can be successful in those games, maybe there's a chance we will play in the SEC Championship Game as well.
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LSU's loss should spur the team to search for some semblance of a consistent passing game in the coming years.
Alabama has had great success with game managers like A.J. McCarron and Blake Sims, while Auburn is in the hunt every year thanks to the dual-threat exploits of quarterbacks like Nick Marshall and Cam Newton.
LSU's running game is in good shape with freshman Leonard Fournette in the fold, yet—simply put—the type of year quarterback Anthony Jennings has had won't cut it in this conference.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
