The final CFP spot looks like it will come down to either Alabama football or SMU.
The Mustangs lost the ACC Championship Game, but only on a last-second field goal. Should SMU be punished for losing an extra game?
Then there’s Alabama, a team with much better wins than SMU but also, a few bad losses on the resume. Alabama is 3-1 against teams ranked in the CFP top 25 (Georgia, South Carolina and Missouri) but lost to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, two teams that finished 6-6.
Meanwhile, SMU is 0-2 against top 25 teams. Those are SMU’s only losses, and both occurred by three points.
Will Alabama get the last spot? Or will it go to SMU?
The 12-team playoff field will be announced at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday on ESPN.
For now, here are the latest projections for the Crimson Tide, which are a mix of CFP and bowl projections.
CBS: College Football Playoff
Jerry Palm still has Alabama making the CFP, even after the results of the ACC title game. Palm projects Alabama will face No. 6 seed Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania before facing No. 3 seed Boise State with a victory.
Bleacher Report: Citrus Bowl
David Kenyon projects Alabama will face Illinois in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31 in Orlando.
Yahoo Sports: No playoff
SMU takes the No. 12 spot and faces No. 5 seed Texas. Nick Bromberg bumped the Crimson Tide from the field.
ESPN: All but one project no playoff for Alabama
Kyle Bonagura was the lone ESPN writer of a panel of 13 writers who predicted Alabama would be the No. 11 team still with Clemson at No. 12. Everyone else picked SMU instead for the final playoff spot.
FOX: CFP
Joel Klatt of FOX Sports predicted on social media that Alabama will earn the No. 12 seed in the CFP, facing No. 5 seed Notre Dame in the first round.
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
