On Saturday following No. 8 Alabama's 27-24 win over No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, Crimson Tide head football coach Nick Saban doubled down on his belief that his team deserves to make the College Football Playoff (CFP).
As it stands, four teams are vying for the final spot in the playoff, depending on how Florida State fares in the ACC Championship without its top two quarterback options.
Last week's CFP rankings were No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Florida State, No. 5 Oregon, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Alabama.
Michigan and Washington are undefeated, so they are locks. Florida State is also undefeated but struggling offensively with their third-string quarterback. Georgia and Alabama each only have one loss, but the Tide hold the head-to-head over the Bulldogs. Texas holds the head-to-head over Alabama. Ohio State's lone loss is by six points to Michigan.
Saban was asked after the game if Alabama should be in the CFP, and he argued his team "deserves to be one of those four teams."
Nick Saban states his case as to why @AlabamaFTBL should be in the #CFBPlayoff 🤔 pic.twitter.com/fj882wmG6k
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 3, 2023
“Well, I think won the SEC,” Saban told SEC Network.
“We beat the best team that the committee said was the best team - the No. 1 team ... that won 29 straight games. So, maybe we passed the eye test tonight. I don't know. But if you really want the four best teams in the playoff, then I think our team deserves to be one of those four teams."
Saban went on to say that his team's "whole body of work" should be considered, noting Alabama was not the same team now that lost to Texas earlier in the season.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe echoed his coach after the game.
“Georgia’s No. 1, right? We beat the No. 1 team. What does that say for us at the end of the day? That’s out of our reach. But the biggest thing we’ve got to do is trust the process, keep getting better. But we beat the best team in the nation, considered the best. So what do you consider us?” he asked.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email trent.baker@1819news.com.
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