Playoff pulse: Alabama not fading away; Ohio State escapes
Facing the possibility of being out of the playoff picture five weeks into the season, No. 13 Alabama announced it is far from finished.
Facing the possibility of being upset in Indiana, No. 1 Ohio State wiggled out of a tight spot to keep its winning streak going. Whether it was good enough to keep the Buckeyes in the top spot remains to be seen.
The first Saturday of October was dominated by huge conference showdowns and ranked vs. ranked matchups that will start to shape the College Football Playoff race. Alabama looks as if it is going to be part of that chase for a while.
The Crimson Tide (4-1) rolled into No. 8 Georgia knowing another loss would be devastating to its national championship hopes and ran right over the Bulldogs, 38-10.
“I know they’ve been criticized a lot, but I thought we played an outstanding game today, every part of the game,” coach Nick Saban said.
Two weeks after people were asking whether Saban’s Crimson Tide was a fading dynasty, Alabama put together maybe the most dominant effort by any team this season in game that was very much suited to its preferred style. Alabama is still power at heart, both on offense and defense. Georgia is, too, but the Bulldogs were no match for Derrick Henry, Reggie Ragland and the Tide.
While Alabama looked great, the pressure isn’t off the Crimson Tide. That loss to Mississippi doesn’t disappear off the Tide’s resume. ’Bama still needs some help just to win the SEC West and cannot afford another loss.
Some of that help came Saturday in the Swamp. No. 25 Florida (5-0) matched Alabama’s dominance in a 38-10 victory against the Rebels (4-1).
Hoping to reach the final four with two losses and no conference championship is a long shot. The Tide have plenty of tough SEC tests left, but considering the way Alabama responded facing maybe its biggest obstacle, you have to like its chances.
As for Georgia, the loss wasn’t devastating for its playoff hopes. If the Bulldogs win out and win the SEC, and their schedule sets up relatively manageable the rest of the way, they could still reach the CFP.