Alabama’s College Football Playoff margin for error is basically gone after two straight losses, and the national projection boards are starting to reflect it.
The Crimson Tide dropped a rough 26-10 decision at Tennessee in Week 7, a defeat that followed a 20-17 loss to Georgia and left Alabama at 5-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play. The offense managed only 201 total yards against a Tennessee defense that forced three Keelon Russell turnovers, and Alabama was shut out in the second half for the second game in a row.
The defense did what it could early, limiting Tennessee to three first-quarter field goals after the Vols spent nearly the entire opening quarter in the red zone. But DeSean Bishop eventually took over, breaking the game open with two touchdown runs. His 5-yard score capped a 15-play, 72-yard march that burned 9:32 off the clock in the fourth quarter.
Now Alabama heads into a brutal final stretch with four SEC games left, starting with Texas A&M on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. After that come trips to LSU and Vanderbilt, then the Iron Bowl against Auburn, which just knocked off previously No. 1-ranked Georgia.
National outlets have responded quickly.
ESPN analysts Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura both left Alabama out of their latest College Football Playoff projections. Bonagura has the Tide meeting Iowa in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 2, while Schlabach projects Alabama against Wisconsin in the Music City Bowl on Dec.
- That’s a sharp fall from where Alabama sat in ESPN’s CFP quarterfinal bracket a week earlier after its three-point loss to Georgia.
CBS Sports still keeps Alabama in the playoff picture, but only barely. Brad Crawford has the Crimson Tide as the No. 9 seed, heading to the Rose Bowl to face No.
8 UCLA, the only remaining unbeaten team from either the Big Ten or SEC entering Week 8. Crawford then has Alabama moving on to face projected No. 1 seed Miami in the Peach Bowl.
Crawford said:
"One of five SEC teams in our new projection, Alabama's game at LSU on Nov. 7 could be for one of the final spots in the bracket. Consecutive losses have stunned the Crimson Tide, but the Tigers are the only ranked team left. The Iron Bowl could be attractive if Auburn keeps it up and serves as the spoiler during rivalry weekend."
The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman also removed Alabama from his updated bracket, with Kentucky and Tennessee sliding into the field. Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Fischer did the same, projecting Alabama against Nebraska in the Citrus Bowl. That would be a matchup we haven’t seen since the 1978 season opener at Legion Field in Birmingham.
Alabama’s next shot to stabilize its resume comes Saturday against Texas A&M, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC. The Crimson Tide are No. 13 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25, while Texas A&M is unranked.
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