The Alabama Crimson Tide won’t play in the 2022 College Football Playoff after all.
The committee excluded the Tide from the semifinals in their announcement Sunday. Instead, the Georgia Bulldogs, Michigan Wolverines, TCU Horned Frogs, and Ohio State Buckeyes are the four teams who will play for the title.
Alabama’s exclusion means the Tide won’t be in the CFP for only the second time in its existence. The first time came back in 2019. They have otherwise been mainstays so this is a rarity for Saban and the Tide. Though, not one that comes unearned. This wasn’t the Tide’s strongest effort this year. Despite what the last 24 hours suggested, there really wasn’t, or shouldn’t have been, much of a debate on their status.
There is outside resentment toward the Tide, like for many other teams who have sustained success. It’s exacerbated in college football, a sport where access and resources are so crucial. So after the Tide wasn’t included, many outside of the program weren’t too upset about it.
Some were even unwilling to listen to any pro-Alabama arguments. Longtime college football writer and editor Bud Elliott tweeted, “If TCU or Ohio State get smoked I don’t want to hear a peep about how Alabama wouldn’t have gotten smashed given the Tide lost TWICE to teams Georgia crushed. There is nothing you can point to from 2022 (not past years, not top rated recruits who haven’t performed) to justify.”
Others thought the whole thing was a charade. Stewart Mandel of The Athletic tweeted, “The push over the last 18 hours or so to make people think Alabama is a serious candidate has been peak manufactured drama.”
Many more reacted to the Tide’s exclusion on Twitter.
please ask boo corrigan if nick saban trying to gin up support for alabama at halftime of the big ten title game did anything the answer would be very funny
— Bill DiFilippo (@billdifilippo) December 4, 2022
Alabama’s best win is against a Texas team without its starting QB. Hard to make a case for them this year, even with Bryce Young’s appeal. TN horrific defense and no starting QB, already saw UGA dominate them. https://t.co/Ihe2bRAcaR
— 500
(@Kameron_Hay) December 4, 2022