Paul Finebaum Warns of 'Tremendous' Media Backlash Against Alabama in CFP Race
Alabama is a fixture in the College Football Playoff race, as the Tide are every year. This campaign, though, there is sentiment among the media that Nick Saban's squad does not belong in the playoff.
Paul Finebaum warned of a large bias against the Tide, and predicted a huge backlash, should the Tide get into the playoff.
This will go over well. https://t.co/EVac0HD9EM
— The Spun (@TheSpun) November 25, 2019
According to Finebaum, Alabama is well-positioned to secure a playoff berth, despite lacking a way to win the SEC West and losing star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a season-ending hip injury. The Tide are 10-1, with the only loss coming at the hands of top-ranked LSU.
The Crimson Tide have an impressive resume, but one that is flawed in two ways: The loss to LSU and the lack of signature wins. The playoff selection committee loves narratives, and the battle between LSU and Alabama was set to be the most notable of the season. It lived up to the hype, but Alabama lost, meaning the team's chances for an SEC title were all but lost.
ESPN Strength of Record (i.e. % chance an avg top 25 team would have the same record vs your schedule):
— David+ (@ADavidHaleJoint) November 11, 2019
1 LSU
2 Ohio St
3 Baylor
4 Minnesota
5 Clemson
6 Penn St
7 Auburn
8 Oregon
9 Florida
10 Alabama
11 UGA
12 Utah
13 Cincy
14 Mich
15 Okla
16 Wisc
17 ND
18 SMU
19 App
20 Iowa
It's looking like a long shot for Bama to return to the CFP this season.