AP
Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) returns a kickoff for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Auburn Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
The committee spoke and the message was significant for Alabama.
After standing fifth last week, the Iron Bowl loss to Auburn pushed the Crimson Tide all the way to No. 12 on Tuesday night. It didn’t matter for the playoff since that hope died in Jordan-Hare Stadium, but the playoff committee’s verdict will have an impact on where Alabama spends bowl season.
Here’s what it means:
The Sugar Bowl was already a long shot and it’s virtually impossible for Alabama to make it now. It takes the top SEC team in the CFP rankings that doesn’t make a semifinal. Georgia (4), Florida (9) and Auburn (11) are all ahead of the Tide in the penultimate rankings released Tuesday.
The Orange Bowl was a popular pick in the early-week projections, but that’s now looking less likely. It takes the highest-ranked SEC or Big Ten team not in the Sugar or Rose bowls. Wisconsin is No. 8, ahead of Florida, No. 10 Penn State and Auburn.
The Cotton Bowl gets two at-large picks with one being the best Group of Five teams. That’s looking like No. 17 Memphis if the Tigers can beat Cincinnati in the AAC championship. Anyway, Baylor or Oklahoma could be available if a Big 12 champion doesn’t make the playoff. One of those two would go to the Sugar Bowl.
Alabama is the fifth-best SEC team in the playoff rankings and there’s nothing it can do to jump any of them. Neither Georgia, nor LSU would come anywhere near falling below No. 12 with a title-game loss, so it would look more like Alabama would be outside the New Year’s Six bowls.
The Citrus Bowl gets the first pick of SEC teams after the power bowls. That features a Big Ten or ACC opponent. After that, it’s the Outback and TaxSlayer bowls.
The team with the worst standing in last year’s playoff rankings to make a power bowl was LSU. The No. 11 Tigers made the Fiesta Bowl as an at-large selection. No. 12 Penn State played Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl.
Alabama hasn’t played outside of the New Year’s Six/BCS bowls since 2010. It beat Michigan State 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl, now back to being called the Citrus Bowl.
The No. 12 ranking is twice as high as the previous low-water mark for Alabama in the six years of the playoff rankings. It was No. 6 in 2014 after losing to Ole Miss early in the season before working back to the No. 1 seed in the inaugural playoff.
Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.