Alabama and LSU are both in the top 5 of the preseason Associated Press poll. If the only loss between the two teams comes on Nov. 5, could both finish in the playoff committee’s final four?
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit doesn’t it see happening – ever.
“This will be one of those years where there’s a lot of parity and it’ll come down to who’s healthy and who makes the most of their personnel,” Herbstreit said on a Sunday SportsCenter appearance. “I don’t think the (selection) committee has it in them after 15 weeks of football to vote two teams from one conference. Even if they think they’re in the top four, I don’t see them ever doing that. They’ll be worried about feedback. This might be a year that it might be a valid point, but I don’t think he committee will ever put two teams from one conference in.”
Earlier this offseason, fellow ESPN expert Phil Steele predicted that that the Crimson Tide and Tigers would both make the playoff.
“I went out of the box,” Steele said in June. “This is the third year of the playoffs. Everyone just assumes it will be one team per conference. But I think this year, Alabama and LSU are so loaded that the SEC can get two teams into the playoffs.”
What do you think, Tigers and Tide fans? Could this season play out like 2011 or is the committee too scared to have two SEC teams play for the championship?
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
