NIL
Urban Meyer firmly believes three-loss team should make College Football Playoff
Alabama Crimson Tide playoff resume in question following loss to Georgia
The Georgia Bulldogs solidified a spot in the College Football Playoff with a decisive 28-7 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton earned MVP honors after he threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another 39 yards.
The result marked the first time the Bulldogs defeated the Crimson Tide in a conference title game under the current coaching regime. The loss left the Alabama offense searching for answers after the unit finished with minus-3 rushing yards.
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer expressed concern regarding how the selection committee would view the blowout defeat. The program fell to 10-3 on the season and now sits on the bubble for the 12-team field.
DeBoer argued that reaching the SEC Championship Game should not negatively impact the resume of his team. He noted that the game provided a difficult additional data point that other contenders, like the Miami Hurricanes or Notre Dame Fighting Irish, did not have to navigate this weekend.
The debate surrounding the final at-large spots intensified immediately following the final whistle in Atlanta. Analysts questioned whether a three-loss team that was non-competitive in its final outing deserves a berth over teams with fewer losses.
The CFP committee must weigh the value of the difficult SEC schedule against the lack of offensive production shown on Saturday. The Crimson Tide entered the weekend ranked inside the top 10 but now face a nervous wait to see if their season will continue.
Urban Meyer Defends Alabama Playoff Resume
During the broadcast of the Big Ten Championship Game between the Indiana Hoosiers and Ohio State Buckeyes, a prominent voice emerged to support the Alabama case. Former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer argued passionately that the committee should not punish the Crimson Tide. Meyer emphasized the difficulty of playing the Bulldogs in their home state during such a high-pressure matchup.
“You guys, you can’t penalize Bama for going to Georgia,” Meyer said at halftime of the Indiana vs. Ohio State Big Ten Championship Game. “It’s at Georgia, it’s in Atlanta. You play a great football team, you can’t do that. You set the precedent, you’re going to hear people say ‘Why go play in that championship game?’”
Meyer debated the topic with Fox Sports analyst Mark Ingram, a Crimson Tide alumnus. Ingram worried that his former team would be left out due to the nature of the loss. Meyer countered that penalizing a team for playing an extra game against an elite opponent creates a bad incentive structure for the sport. He, like former NFL coach Jon Gruden before him, suggested that the current system is flawed and calls for a significant overhaul to remove the subjective nature of the selection process.
“Get rid of the committee and have all play-in games,” Meyer said.
The former coach outlined a specific proposal that would guarantee spots for conference teams. He referenced a model created by Big Ten Commissioner Tony Pettiti.
“The committee’s got to go away. We’ve got to do a play-in,” Meyer said. “We’ve got to do, and Tony Pettiti, the commissioner of the Big Ten, came up with a 4-4-2-2-1-1 model, and that’s going to be the Big Ten gets four. One plays two, they’re both in. One gets a ring, one doesn’t.”
The Crimson Tide will find out if they’ve earned a berth in the playoff during the Selection Show on Sunday at noon ET on ESPN.