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Paul Finebaum finds it hard to defend Alabama for missing Playoff
By Mark Kern
Published:
Paul Finebaum thought that Alabama had done enough to make it to the College Football Playoff over SMU. For the SEC to only get 3 teams in the CFP was a surprise to many.
However, Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning that it is hard to defend Alabama as the Crimson Tide didn’t do themselves any favors.
“I think most people reasonably could conclude by about midnight on Saturday when that field goal went in that Alabama was out,” Finebaum said. “I understand that, I don’t think it’s the right decision, but on the other hand, it’s hard to gather a lot of steam in defending Alabama because ultimately Alabama killed themselves.”
The Crimson Tide had 2 big wins against South Carolina and Georgia, but they also had 2 conference losses to 6-6 teams in Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. The loss to the Sooners was especially crushing, as it was 24-3 and it was the 2nd to last regular season game for Alabama. Finebaum said the loss in Norman was what caused the Crimson Tide to miss the final field.
“That loss to Oklahoma was what the committee used against them, even though that was contradictory to everything they had said the previous week,” Finebaum said. “But ultimately, the reason why Alabama didn’t make the Playoff is more Alabama’s fault than the committee’s.”
Alabama will wrap up the 2024 season with a rematch of last season’s Rose Bowl against Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
