Alabama has long been one of the top programs in all of college football. Even if it doesn’t make it to the College Football Playoff national championship game for the 5th time and end up winning its 6th championship in 12 years, it could still maintain its status as the only team to advance to the Playoff in each year of the existence of the format.

One major voice in the college football media landscape feels that Alabama, who he considered No. 7 in his personal top 10 rankings, shouldn’t be in the playoff hunt based on its name alone.

During an appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show” on Tuesday, FOX Sports college football commentator Tim Brando pointed to the Tide as one of the programs that made up the “Pure Playoff Privileged”, select schools that seem to find themselves in the Playoff picture year in and year out regardless of who they play and don’t play.

“Teams that are considered blue bloods. Teams that have had success in the last 30, 35, 40 years, multiple conference championships,” Brando called such teams. “This cabal of teams that have made this event the great Sun Belt Invitational. If I can tell you in July that these are your teams and I’m gonna be right on at least 3 out of the 4 that I name, then we’ve removed all of the joy of the regular season of college football.”

Whether or not fans agree with him, those are some strong words, indeed.