The Alabama Crimson Tide got dominated 28-7 by the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night.
On Sunday afternoon, for some reason, they didn't move in the College Football Playoff rankings at all. The Tide is ranked No. 9 and will play the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman during the CFP's first round.
As The New York Post's Zach Braziller correctly pointed out, Alabama's resume is made even less impressive by the fact that they barely beat "also-rans" like the Auburn Tigers, LSU Tigers, and South Carolina Gamecocks in a so-so finish down the stretch.
And it cost the Notre Dame Fighting Irish a CFP spot they deserved over the Tide.
"One of the hottest teams in the country over the last two-plus months will not be in the College Football Playoff," Braziller prefaced before saying, "Notre Dame, despite a 10-game winning streak, was left on the outside looking in. Alabama received the ninth seed and Miami was given No. 10. The Crimson Tide have been incredibly shaky for the last five weeks, barely beating SEC also-rans LSU, Auburn and South Carolina, losing at home to punchless Oklahoma and getting crushed on Saturday in the SEC championship game. Miami, which didn’t even reach the ACC title game, got in on the strength of its Week 1 win over the Irish."
Notre Dame may have to consider joining a conference
The CFP selection committee made a clear statement that participating in conference championship games doesn't penalize you if you lose. Alabama is the first three-loss team to make the field after losing its conference championship game.
Notre Dame might want to strongly considering joining an ACC that looks less and less competitive every season. Though they might've still lost to the Miami Hurricanes in conference play, they could've avoided the TAMU Aggies and gotten a team like the North Carolina Tar Heels or Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The margins of error are thinner than ever, especially with two Group of 5 teams, the Tulane Green Wave and James Madison Dukes, making the field. The Fighting Irish might want that extra game, and it's preferable to join the ACC than the Big Ten.