The Extra Point: Alabama's Playoff Hopes Ride on Upsets
Wyatt Fulton of BamaCentral discusses Alabama's playoff hopes and Who needs to lose for the Crimson Tide to have a chance.
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00:00 For Bama Central.com, I'm Wyatt Fulden and this is the Extra Point.
00:04 Alabama is stuck at number eight in the three college football playoff rankings so far.
00:08 With Selection Sunday fast approaching, Alabama is going to need some help if they hope to make
00:12 the playoffs for the eighth time. How can Alabama get its help? It's all going to start with the
00:16 Crimson Tide winning their next three games, UT Chattanooga, at Auburn, and against number one
00:21 Georgia in the SEC Championship game. Alabama's got no chance at a playoff shot unless they win
00:25 out. Where can the Crimson Tide look for help? It may seem difficult to jump from number eight to
00:30 number four, but there are a couple possible scenarios. For starters, like I said, Alabama
00:35 has to win out. They'll get its chance to stake a claim at the college football playoff as they're
00:40 scheduled to play the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs on December 2nd in the
00:44 SEC Championship game. Alabama can really bolster its resume with the win over the number one team
00:49 in the country. Secondly, number two Ohio State and number three Michigan have to play each other
00:54 in the game at the end of the season. The winner should go on to be an undefeated Big Ten champion,
00:59 locking them into a playoff spot, but it'll knock out the other team. Alabama is a 12-1
01:05 SEC champion with a resume that it has should jump an 11-1 non-Big Ten champion.
01:10 Number four, Florida State has looked vulnerable the last couple of weeks with a lackluster
01:15 performance against Pitt in week 10 and holding on to beat Miami last week. The upset probably
01:20 won't happen this week since the Seminoles are hosting North Alabama, but Florida State has
01:25 appeared to struggle on the road and Florida State has to travel to Gainesville to take on
01:29 the Florida Gators at the end of the regular season. Florida struggled recently on a three-game
01:33 losing streak and they have to play at number nine Missouri, but Florida's been really good at home
01:38 this season and a night game in the swamp is always difficult. If Florida State remains undefeated
01:43 through the regular season, they'll have to travel to Charlotte for the SEC Championship game,
01:47 presumably against the top 10 Louisville team, who's going to hope to ruin some playoff hopes.
01:52 Number five, Washington has arguably the best win of the season against number six Oregon,
01:57 but they've struggled since their big win at home, scraping by and won score games against
02:01 Arizona State, Stanford, and Utah. The Huskies are facing a huge test this week in number 11
02:07 Oregon State in Corvallis. Oregon State has been known as a giant killer in the Pac-12
02:12 and if Washington isn't focused on the road, the Beavers could get the best of them and ruin some
02:16 playoff hopes. The team that Washington beat, the number six Oregon Ducks, aren't out of the running
02:22 just yet. The Ducks can make the Pac-12 Championship game and get their revenge on Washington if they
02:27 simply win out, although Oregon does still have to play Oregon State in their rivalry game,
02:32 the last one for the foreseeable future. While the game is in Autzen, so Oregon should have the
02:37 advantage, but rivalry games can cause some weird scenarios. If Oregon State beats Washington,
02:43 they'll come in riding high on a really good win streak. Like I said, rivalry games can cause some
02:48 freaky scenarios and Oregon State loves to capitalize on these moments. The number seven
02:53 Texas Longhorns are a team that's going to keep giving Alabama problems in the college football
02:56 playoff argument. As you remember, the Longhorns beat the Crimson Tide in week two in Bryant-Denny
03:01 Stadium, so until they lose again, it's safe to say Alabama is going to be ranked behind Texas.
03:06 Texas plays at Iowa State this weekend, Texas Tech next weekend, and then we'll play the Big
03:10 12 Championship game against presumably Oklahoma or Oklahoma State. Alabama fans are looking for
03:16 Iowa State to give them some help, but it's not the first time the Crimson Tide have relied on
03:20 the Cyclones. In 2011, Iowa State beat Oklahoma State to give Alabama a shot at a national
03:26 championship rematch against the LSU Tigers. It may come down to a resume debate between the
03:30 one-loss teams, and if that's the case, Alabama and Texas have a stronger resume than the Oregon
03:35 Ducks. Oregon has one ranked win against number 22 Utah, while Texas has three ranked wins,
03:41 and Alabama also has three. Texas, of course, beat Alabama in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Meanwhile,
03:46 Alabama beat number 13 Ole Miss as their best win of the season. The worst case for the Crimson
03:51 Tide are three undefeated conference champions in the Big Ten Champion, Washington and Florida
03:56 State, and Texas and Alabama as two one-loss champions. If this happens, Alabama fans won't
04:02 have a happy selection Sunday as they watch the Longhorns get that fourth playoff spot.
04:06 So, Crimson Tide fans, you're big fans of Iowa State and Oregon State this weekend,
04:10 and of course, win your games. For BamaCentral.com, I'm Wyatt Fulton, and this was the Extra Point.