Is Alabama in the playoffs? Explaining the CFP bracket decision with Crimson Tide missing out | Sporting News

When the 12-team College Football Playoff format was announced, it was known that there would be tough decisions made in regards to who was in and who was out.

There are plenty of factors at play, including how the committee views teams with more losses against stiffer competition, appearances in conference championship and ranked wins.

Well, the first official bracket for the CFP is here, and it leaves multiple teams wondering how they managed to miss out on an opportunity to play for a national championship.

The biggest name for 2024 is undoubtedly Alabama.

Heading into championship week, there was nothing the Crimson Tide could do to add to their resume.

Alabama missed out on the SEC title game with its three conference losses, and instead, came into the week ranked as the final at-large bid.

All the program needed was for SMU to take care of business against Clemson in the ACC title game, and it would have been smooth sailing.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers had other plans.

Clemson stunned SMU in the ACC Championship, giving the Tigers the automatic bid, and putting the committee in charge of choosing between Alabama and SMU for the final at-large spot.

NCAAF HQ: Live NCAAF scores | Updated NCAAF standings | Full NCAAF schedule In the end, the CFP is going to feature a Mustangs team who finished with two losses, not the Crimson Tide who ended at 9-3.

The controversial choice leaves plenty of debate as to who deserves it.

Here is more on why Alabama did not get into the 2024 College Football Playoff.

LIVE: Latest updates on final College Football Playoff bracket reveal College Football Playoff bracket Is Alabama in the playoffs? Alabama is a casualty of the College Football Playoff after Clemson upset SMU in the ACC Championship game.

The Crimson Tide were not playing on championship weekend, and therefore, the team could not improve its ranking.

However, with the committee putting Alabama into the field as the No.

11 seed ahead of the week, it looked like the Crimson Tide would be set.

That was until Clemson threw a wrinkle into the plans by knocking off SMU in the ACC title game, It left the committee to decide between a two-loss SMU team that played in the conference championship, and a three-loss Alabama team sitting at home.

Ultimately, the bad midseason loss to Vanderbilt and the embarrassing loss in Norman to a 6-6 Oklahoma team is what did Alabama in.

The Crimson Tide made their own bed with those results, and now they must lay in it.

As a result, the committee elected to go with a two-loss SMU team, whose only defeats were to BYU earlier in the season, and Clemson in the ACC Championship.

Those losses were seemingly valued higher than Alabama's trio of losses to Tennessee, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt.

It also helped SMU's case that the team actually made their conference championship, unlike Kalen DeBeor's team.

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20 First Round TBD vs.

TBD 8:00 p.m.

ET ABC/ESPN Dec.

21 First Round TBD vs.

TBD 12:00 p.m.

ET TNT Dec.

21 First Round TBD vs.

TBD 4:00 p.m.

ET TNT Dec.

21 First Round TBD vs.

TBD 8:00 p.m.

ET ABC/ESPN Dec.

31 Quarterfinals TBD vs.

TBD 7:30 p.m.

ET ESPN Jan.

1 Quarterfinals TBD vs.

TBD 1:00 p.m.

ET ESPN Jan.

1 Quarterfinals TBD vs.

TBD 5:00 p.m.

ET ESPN Jan.

1 Quarterfinals TBD vs.

TBD 8:45 p.m.

ET ESPN Jan.

9 Semifinals TBD vs.

TBD 7:30 p.m.

ET ESPN Jan.

10 Semifinals TBD vs.

TBD 7:30 p.m.

ET ESPN Jan.

20 National Championship TBD vs.

TBD 7:30 p.m.

ET ESPN.

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