Alabama's trip to theSEC championshipoffers some reward and plenty of risk.
The Crimson Tide's path to the playoff narrowed before the calendar flipped to September after a loss to Florida State inWeek 1. Months later, despite winning 10 of their last 11 games and clinching the SEC championship game, Alabama still isn't a sure thing for the College Football Playoff.
That could change this weekend. A win against Georgia on Saturday would secure a spot for Alabama as one of the five highest-ranked conference winners. A loss would put the Tide's fate in the hands of the CFP committee, which could dock them for a third loss — even if it stemmed from a championship game competitors didn't qualify for.
Saturday gives Alabama the chance to take control of its own destiny, and the Tide have no interest in giving any outsiders final say.
As far as second-year coachKalen DeBoeris concerned, his team's future shouldn't be a topic of debate. The Tide are 10-2 this season. Their only loss aside from a Week 1 blunder was a close one against a ranked Oklahoma team in Week 12. That was after knocking off six conference opponents, four of which were ranked.
"We're in the championship game with a 7-1 record, won four conference games on the road in the toughest conference," DeBoer said Monday. "I just think when you're really trying to have a playoff, you need your best teams in there. There's no doubt in my mind that we are one of the best teams. I don't say that arrogantly. I just really believe that's what it is."
It doesn't help that the CFP committee is subjective by nature, and the playoff race is overcrowded. But no matter how the numbers are crunched, even with a loss, DeBoer argues his squad has proved it belongs.
"There's a ton of metrics I know people look at: strength of record, FPI. We're right at the top," he said. "Playing in your conference championship in the SEC shouldn't be something that we're worried about as far as what that would do to our playoff hopes. We got here by earning it."
Should Alabama lose on Saturday, earning aCFP bidwould be historic. No three-loss team has ever appeared in the playoff. Alabama would have to compete for one of the seven remaining spots. In the SEC alone, Texas A&M, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt would have stronger overall records. In other words, Alabama's back is against the wall, but that's not a new feeling this season.
"Man, I feel like honestly we've kind of had that mindset ever since our first loss," senior linebacker Deontae Lawson said. "Just control what we can control, and that's doing our best to win the game, leave nothing up for chance."
The Crimson Tide have had Georgia's number in recent years. Kirby Smart is 1-7 against his former team, and Bama has won the past three. In September, Alabama snapped Georgia's33-game win streakat home with a 24-21 victory. That offers the locker room some peace of mind ahead of the heavyweight showdown.
"We've already beat this team before. We're going to go out there and make sure we do the same thing," Tim Keenan III said. "We're going to make sure we handle business on our own end and not leave it up to the committee to make decisions for us."
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