Nick Saban: Alabama Deserves To Be In Playoff Despite Loss To Auburn

After his team’s wildly disappointing showing in the Iron Bowl that led to a 26-14 loss to Auburn, Nick Saban immediately turned to politicking for a playoff spot. Despite the Crimson Tide at times looking like they didn’t belong on the same field as the Tigers, Saban thinks his team belongs in the College Football Playoff.

Alabama didn’t get blown out, but it was clear Auburn was the better team for most of the contest. The Tigers also held the ball for 36:02 minutes, while Saban’s team had it for just 23:58. Auburn largely controlled the game.

Due to the loss, Alabama will not be playing in the SEC Championship Game and therefore won’t be a conference champion. The Crimson Tide finished their season 11-1, while the other contenders will all have played 13 games. Oh, and none of the other teams in the mix played Mercer.

Is Alabama one of the four best teams in college football? Almost certainly. But has the team earned a spot in the final four? That’s a lot more difficult to define. But it’ll be hard to defend an Alabama team getting in over a major-conference champion.

Once again this will come down to a difficult decision for the playoff committee. Do you put the “best” teams in, or the teams that have earned a spot?

Whatever decision the committee makes, at least one fan base is going to be wildly disappointed.