The College Football playoffs have returned, and millions of Americans are preparing for these next few weeks of intense competition.
So, this made me think, “What’s better than kicking off the occasion with a piece about the team I despise the most?”
Keep in mind that this team I cannot stand is in the playoffs this season, and I will base my argument on the logic of past playoff games, not on my opinions. (I have nothing against the fans, because to each their own; it’s not that deep!)
For some context of my personal opposition towards the Tide: My intense dislike for Alabama started when I was not even old enough to understand football. Both my mom and her father (my Paw Paw) graduated from Auburn University.
My father, on the other hand, is a UGA grad, so over the years, I grew up hearing both my parents joke, “Don’t marry a Bama fan!”
Even though I am a Georgia fan through and through, my opposition to the Crimson Tide stemmed from the good old Iron Bowl rivalry. My dislike for Alabama grew as the Dawgs faced a series of losses to the Tide over the last seven or so years. Thankfully, Georgia broke the streak in the recent SEC championship!
Personally, I believe the CFP committee has always shown blatant favoritism toward Alabama. I’m not saying this because I love the Dawgs so much, but because the Tide made it to the playoffs with a 10-3 record.
Going into the SEC championship game, I knew Alabama would probably earn a spot in the playoffs, regardless of the outcome. “But Skyla,” you may ask, “Why do you consider this favoritism?”
Alabama is the first three-loss team to make the College Football playoffs.
The 2023 College Football playoffs marked the end of the four-team competition era, which lasted 10 years. This was also the season the Dawgs were eliminated from playoff contention after their 27-24 loss to Alabama.
Strangely enough, Georgia lost to Alabama again, by three points, in September this year.
After falling to the Tide, Georgia fell from fifth-ranked to 12th.
Fast forward to the SEC Championship: Georgia conquers the Crimson Tide by three touchdowns to earn its spot in the quarterfinals. The very next day, Alabama made it into the 12-team bracket, and didn’t drop in the rankings — at all.
Does it make sense for a team that made -3 rushing yards and lost by 21 points to not change their place in the top 10?
Given the new 12-team system, I understand some two-loss teams made it into the playoffs this season. But with the logic that 2023 Georgia did not make the playoffs after losing by three points, 2025 Alabama does not deserve a spot in this year’s championship race.
These past two seasons, featuring a longer playoff system, have shown that each season, multiple teams enter and quickly exit the race, embarrassingly. Heck, the first-round games this past weekend were hard to watch.
Notre Dame proved itself worthy of that playoff spot over Alabama, even though the Fighting Irish probably wouldn’t have made it far. They had a strong season, with 10 consecutive wins after two close losses in the first two weeks this fall.
Even though I am not thrilled with the outcome of the Oklahoma-Alabama game, I admit that the Tide played much more efficiently this past weekend. Alabama did well, taking advantage of Oklahoma’s offensive mistakes.
From a neutral standpoint, I highly doubt Alabama will survive the test against Indiana on New Year’s Day. The Crimson Tide’s offense seems a bit beat up, and more recently has failed to protect Ty Simpson from defenders' wrath (sacks).
Regardless, I don’t think any team with three losses deserves a spot in the competition of the year, especially over teams that provided a more