The path remains the same: lose to Ole Miss early, face must-win games the rest of the regular season and scrap to an SEC championship.

Alabama (6-1, 3-1) is far from replicating the 2014 run to the College Football Playoff. But after beating then-No. 9 Texas A&M on the road, the Crimson Tide has come back into focus as a major national contender.

RELATED: Coaches Poll | Associated Press Poll

The highest-ranked one-loss team, Bama ranks at No. 8 in the Coaches Poll and No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25, both of which released new rankings Sunday afternoon.

Coach Nick Saban’s team briefly fell out of the AP top 10 after a home loss to Ole Miss, but four consecutive wins — including two on the road against top 10-ranked SEC teams — have edged the program ever closer to contention for the four-team playoff.

Games against Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn all will be tough. But outside of Leonard Fournette’s Tigers, the Tide should be a clear favorite in the rest of the matchups. Beat the Vols next week and Bama will host LSU in what will be billed as the game of the year in the SEC.