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Alabama Football

5 reasons Alabama should be No. 1

Jason Hall

By Jason Hall

Published:

The No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide defeated No. 1 Mississippi State, 25-20, on Saturday. With the win, the Tide should move up in the College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night. But where will Alabama fall? Here are five reasons why the Crimson Tide should take the No. 1 ranking:

1. Best team in the SEC. Alabama reclaims its spot as the top team in the SEC after Saturday’s win. The SEC West is the best division in college football with six ranked teams. The Tide has the best record against the nation’s best conference, which will help its case with the committee on Tuesday.

2. Alabama ranks first in FPI and strength of scheduleAccording to the Football Power Index — a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s performance going forward — Alabama ranks No. 1 overall with 27.7 points above average. The FPI also ranks the Tide No. 1 in overall team efficiency. USA Today’s Jeff Sagarin also ranked Alabama as the No. 1 team based on strength of schedule entering Week 12.

3. Most impressive resume. Alabama has looked convincing against the majority of its schedule this season. Including West Virginia — who opened the season unranked — the Tide is 4-1 against teams that held a ranking in 2014. If TCU’s victory over West Virginia counts, so should Alabama’s. Otherwise, no remaining undefeated or one-loss team has more than three wins against ranked opponents.

4. Amari Cooper is the best player in college football. Whether he fits the criteria for the Heisman Trophy is up for debate, but his dominance against opposing defenses is unquestionable. Cooper is the most talented player on the most talented team. FSU, TCU and Oregon all have impressive offenses, but none have a player as impressive as Cooper.

5. Knocking off No. 1. To quote legendary wrestler Ric Flair, “To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man.” Alabama beat “the man” on Saturday by ending Mississippi State’s undefeated season. The Tide have the most impressive resume of any contender in college football and will take its inevitable place atop the College Football Playoff rankings.


Jason Hall

A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky

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