Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban explained why they deserve to play a college playoff game.
Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide looked set to lose to the LSU Tigers in overtime in November. This was Alabama’s second loss of the season, meaning they faced long odds of reaching the playoff.
As it turns out, everything fell just the way Alabama needed it to. Ohio State, Tennessee, USC, Oregon, and LSU all lost ahead of the conference tournament on Saturday. That afternoon, the TCU Horned Frogs suffered their first loss of the season, losing to the Kansas State Wildcats 31-28 in the Big 12 Championship Game.
During an appearance on the ESPN Twitter College Football Show, Saban made his case for why Alabama earned a spot in the playoffs, despite its 10-2 record. Saban cited Bryce Young’s injury against Arkansas and how it kept him limited in workouts upon return, and its closeness to the season.
In addition, Saban explained that the committee should ask themselves if they “would be underdogs” if they matched up with playoff-eligible teams.
Nick Saban makes the case for Alabama makes the college football game
“I guess I’d ask the question if we play these respective teams, are we going to be underdogs in the game or not?” Saban said, h/t BamaOnLine. And that should answer everyone’s questions regarding who are the best teams at the moment. This is how this kind of has to happen.”
Young missed Alabama’s game against Texas A&M after suffering a shoulder injury against Arkansas. The Crimson Tide pulled off a narrow 24-20 win over the Texas A&M Aggies behind that game’s starter, Jalen Milroe.
In terms of games after LSU’s loss, No. 11 Alabama defeated Ole Miss 30-24, Austin Peay 34-0, and Auburn 49-27 to close out the regular season.
While TCU lost on Saturday, they fought hard to overcome a 28-17 deficit to force overtime. Horned Frogs quarterback Max Dugan ran for 110 yards and 1 touchdown on 15 carries. 95 of those yards came on TCU’s penultimate drive, as they were tied at 28 points apiece.
As for the Alabama pundits, they aren’t excited about the potential chance of them sneaking into the playoffs. Well, there will be an official answer this Sunday at 12:00 PM ET on whether they’re in or out.
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