Kirk Herbstreit breaks down Alabama’s path to make College Football Playoff
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
The Iron Bowl is set for Saturday and will close out the regular season for both Alabama and Auburn. Auburn knows that it is headed to an upper-tier bowl when it’s all said and done, while Alabama’s postseason future—whether it will be in the College Football Playoff or not—is still up for debate.
At the very least, the Crimson Tide need a win on Saturday and likely some help from LSU and a few other teams to crack the top 4.
“If you’re an Alabama fan, there are two things you are hoping for: Oregon upsets Utah, and LSU makes sure they beat Georgia,” ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit said in an interview with AL.com’s Mark Heim on Monday. “You don’t want Georgia beating LSU. That would leave Alabama out.”
Another factor that could play in Alabama’s favor may be the margin of victory it beats Auburn, much like Ohio State heavily beating Wisconsin in the 2014 Big Ten Championship to slip into the top 4 and eventually win the national championship.
“In the Big Ten Championship, not many people thought much of (Ohio State), they bombed Wisconsin 59-0,” Herbstreit said. “People were like, ‘Whoa! That was impressive.’ It was like a closing argument for a trial lawyer. That’s what Alabama has, an opportunity, and they can’t just win. They have to look great doing it. I’m not saying it is fair, but that’s the reality with one game with your backup quarterback.”
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
