It’s hard to beat the same team twice in one season, and No. 9 Alabama found that out the hard way on Saturday, losing 28–7 to No. 3 Georgia in the SEC championship after winning the regular season matchup in Athens.
Georgia was dominant. Alabama was held to -3 yards rushing and it took until the third quarter to eclipse the 100-yard mark on offense.
That the Tide were arbitrarily placed ahead of No. 10 Notre Dame in the latest College Football Playoff rankings because of an “impressive” win against 5–7 interim-led Auburn in the Iron Bowl in which Alabama blew a 17-point lead, could prove to be a saving grace for Kalen DeBoer's program.
College Football Playoff Bracket Live Projections: Will Committee Include Alabama?
If Alabama were ranked No. 10 heading into the conference title game and lost by three scores, it’s likely the Tide would have fallen completely out of the College Football Playoff bracket.
But even at No. 9, the Tide are on tenuous ground heading into Sunday’s final rankings reveal, as they sit firmly on the bubble with No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 12 Miami. Alabama’s athletic department knows it too, as they released a series of College Football Playoff talking points to the media highlighting some of their key accomplishments this season, which have been shared by Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde:
Alabama talking points. Just passing them along, no comment included: pic.twitter.com/UVplYHqhh9
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) December 7, 2025
It remains to be seen whether or not the loss to Georgia will be enough for 10–3 Alabama to fall completely out of the College Football Playoff. But Saturday’s loss was bad enough to call the Tide’s résumé into question.
It’ll be an uncomfortable wait for the Tide on Sunday morning.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alabama Circulates Talking Points to Support Playoff Case After Blowout Loss in SEC Title Game.
