Only once since the birth of the College Football Playoff in 2014 has there been a national semifinalist that did not win its conference championship.
The team was Ohio State, and the year was 2016. Those Buckeyes got embarrassed by Clemson in the national semifinal, 31-0.
This year, the College Football Playoff committee has another tough task looming over it. The No. 5 Alabama football team lost on Saturday in the Iron Bowl, 26-14, against its archrival, No. 4 Auburn.
Now, the committee must decide what to do with a one-loss Alabama squad that will not compete for its conference championship.
Before the loss, the Crimson Tide were all but guaranteed a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff. Now, the school is on the outside looking in, but with some luck could still sneak into the playoff.
I'm here to tell you this: Alabama should not receive a College Football Playoff berth — no matter what happens the rest of the season.
As mentioned above, the only school to ever qualify for the playoff after not appearing in its conference championship game was Ohio State, and the Buckeyes squandered that opportunity by losing 31-0 against Clemson in 2016. Heck, Troy played Clemson tougher that year, only losing 30-24 against the Tigers.
And that leads to my next point. Of the top seven teams in the country, only one squad has a less impressive signature win than Alabama.
No. 3 Wisconsin’s best win on its resume was beating Michigan, a hapless 8-4 squad. However, the Badgers are undefeated and therefore deserve a spot, if that remains the case.