The Alabama Crimson Tide's resume does not have On3's Ari Wasserman sold on them ahead of their Rose Bowl matchup with the Indiana Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals on New Year's Day.
Wasserman doesn't believe they have a signature victory, downplaying their SEC slate that includes wins over the Auburn Tigers in the Iron Bowl on the Plains, the LSU Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, and Vanderbilt Commodores at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and road wins against the South Carolina Gamecocks, Missouri Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, and the Oklahoma Sooners, the latter of which came in the CFP's first round. Of course, that comment was equally, if not more dismissive, of the ULM Warhawks, Wisconsin Badgers, and Eastern Illinois Panthers in non-conference play.
Wasserman made the comment while responding to fellow On3 analyst Andy Staples' claim that the Indiana Hoosiers "haven't played a (bad) game yet" on the "Andy & Ari On3" podcast.
“They haven’t played a (bad) game yet, but I just got through saying they don’t really play bad games,” Staples said. “But, listen to ourselves. Listen to this. We’re talking about Indiana’s worst games, and can Alabama beat Indiana when it’s playing its worst game. Like, that’s what we’re talking about. We’re not even talking about the possibility of, like, Indiana plays its best game? We’re not giving Alabama a chance.”
“I just don’t know what (Alabama’s best game) is. That’s, like, from the four-game winning streak?” Wasserman said. “I mean, listen, it’s a seven-point spread, which means it should be a competitive game, you know.”
Alabama's best game is probably the three-point win over an otherwise-unbeaten Georgia Between the Hedges or their double-digit playoff win in Norman over Oklahoma. Their resume has good wins, just not wins that scream "completely deserving of making the CFP field" with a bullhorn.
Wanna talk resume? Alabama never deserved CFP bid to begin with
The Crimson Tide's resume, with three losses, wasn't as impressive as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish or the BYU Cougars'. And yet, they were not moved down a single spot in the final CFP rankings despite a 21-point loss in the SEC Championship Game.
There were plenty of more appropriate times to knock Alabama's resume than after they avenged one of their losses in the CFP.
Instead, the focus was on the Tulane Green Wave and James Madison Dukes and making sure a Group of 5 program never makes the CFP ever again.
Now we're here, wondering if the Tide deserve to be on the same field as the Hoosiers. The answer is no, and it's been no since the Dawgs destroyed them in Atlanta a few weeks ago.