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Nick Saban is lobbying for his Alabama football team to be included in the College Football Playoff. The head coach made his case on the Pat McAfee Show this week.
He noted the magnitude of the upcoming SEC Championship Game against Georgia. A win could make the Crimson Tide the most attractive one-loss team in the nation.
But there are other factors that will go into the selection process.
There are scenarios in which Alabama, and the entire SEC for that matter, could be left out of the national championship race. It would be the first time in the history of the CFP format, which was introduced in 2014.
There are still four remaining undefeated contenders, which include Georgia, Washington, Florida State, and Michigan. Should all four win, each would get in.
But if there’s chaos on championship weekend, it will make the committee’s decision very difficult.
Oregon and Washington face off in the PAC 12 race. Ranked No. 3 and No. 5 in the latest College Football Playoff standings, the winner of that matchup would presumably get a bid.
Michigan is essentially a shoo-in unless upset by Iowa in the B1G title.
Florida State will get in with a win over Louisville, though a loss would almost surely eliminate them from contention. The same is true for Texas in its Big XII contest with Oklahoma State.
That leaves the SEC Championship.
A UGA win means the Bulldogs are in. The reigning two-time national champs are looking to make history in 2023, but if the Tide pulls the upset, the entire landscape shifts.
Say Michigan, FSU, Washington, and Texas win, as does Alabama.
That makes three undefeated teams plus the Longhorns, who beat the Crimson Tide head-to-head earlier this year.
Texas might just get the nod given the on-field results.
Nick Saban doesn’t agree with that line of thinking, or any scenario that leaves an SEC team out of the College Football Playoff. He explained on Thursday.
Nick Saban dishes on College Football Playoff outlook.
“I absolutely think there should be some representation from the SEC in the CFP regardless of who wins this game..
I don’t pay a lot of attention to it because we can’t control it & I don’t want our players to pay attention to it either” ~ Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/gnhw1mnmHL
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 30, 2023
“I think there should be some representation of the SEC regardless of who wins the game… If you’re a one loss team, and you’ve played through this league, I think you’re one of the best four teams in the country. Some kind of way, there should be representation.”
He doubled down on that stance when speaking to ESPN’s Heather Dinich.
“I think it would be a disrespect to the SEC if there isn’t SEC representation in the final four. I do believe that.”
Time will tell how it all plays out, but an Alabama win could come at the detriment of the league as a whole. The Crimson Tide will face Georgia in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon.