Hunter Yurachek explains why Alabama made CFP field despite loss to Georgia
By David Wasson
Published:
The Alabama Crimson Tide spent Saturday night and Sunday morning sweating out their College Football Playoff fate – only to learn after Sunday’s 12-team bracket release that the result of the SEC Championship Game didn’t much factor into their inclusion as the No. 9 seed.
“We evaluated all of those conference championship games, and felt like in the end, regardless of Alabama’s performance yesterday, their body of work in those first 12 games – where they had probably the best win arguably this season at No. 3 Georgia along with wins against Vanderbilt and Tennessee as well – that in spite of their performance in the conference championship they deserved to stay in that No. 9 spot,” CFP selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek said Sunday to ESPN’s Rece Davis after the Tide were included.
Alabama (10-3) lost 28-7 to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, causing pundits across the country to wonder if the Crimson Tide would get vaulted by Miami or Notre Dame – or both – when the final rankings were released.
Instead, Alabama will travel to play Oklahoma in a CFP first-round game Dec. 19 at 8 pm ET in Norman, with the game telecast on ESPN and ABC. The Sooners defeated the Crimson Tide 23-21 in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 25.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
