ITKThe College Football Playoff Committee has spoken, and apparently they liked what they saw in Bryant-Denny Stadium last Saturday afternoon. With this latest poll, now the only one that really matters, for the seventh year in a row, the Crimson Tide has now been ranked #1 at some point in the college football season.

The fourth College Football Playoff Top 25:

1. Alabama (9-1)

2. Oregon (9-1)

3. Florida State (10-0)

4. Mississippi State (9-1)

5. TCU (9-1)

6. Ohio State (9-1)

7. Baylor (8-1)

8. Mississippi (8-2)

9. UCLA (8-2)

10. Georgia (8-2)

11. Michigan State (8-2)

12. Kansas State (7-2)

13. Arizona State (8-2)

14. Auburn (7-3)

15. Arizona (8-2)

16. Wisconsin (8-2)

17. Utah (7-3)

18. Georgia Tech (9-2)

19. USC (7-3)

20. Missouri (8-2)

21. Oklahoma (7-3)

22. Clemson (7-3)

23. Nebraska (8-2)

24. Louisville (7-3)

25. Minnesota (7-3)

Being ranked #1 again, this many times in this many consecutive seasons is called sustained success. Not a flash in the pan like our brothers to the east, but year after year after year of not just winning, but championship caliber football.

Further, a win over the Catamounts Saturday will ensure Bama its seventh season in a row of 10 wins or more, or six back-to-back 10+ win seasons in a row…a feat only accomplished once in the history of the cow college that continually compares itself to Alabama. Interestingly, before coming to Alabama Nick Saban had never had back-to-back 10+ win seasons. He’s about to do it seven times in eight seasons in Tuscaloosa.

Of SEC note, it’s interesting that Ole Miss hung on to stay in the top ten, at #8 just two spots ahead of Georgia, the team with the identical record as the Black Bears though the Rebs were beaten by the same Auburn team that the Bulldogs destroyed.

It’s also interesting that Mississippi State remains in the top four (for now). If Alabama goes on to win the SEC Championship, and if State stays in that spot following all the conference championship games, you can knock me over with a feather. I’ll literally believe the SEC is getting two teams into the playoff when I see it. This whole set up reeks of politcal self-interests from around the country, and ending the SEC’s one-sided dominance was/is partially in order. Remember, the reason we have this system now is because after three national championships in four seasons, Nick Saban pillaged the BCS to the point that no one else felt like they could win it consistently. If Bama wins out and things stay the way they are, look for there to be a lot of upset Bulldog fans in Starkville. The Committee will likely slide someone else in that fourth spot.


(Follow ITK on Twitter for Bama news, commentary and smack.)

11 thoughts on “Alabama #1 in latest college football playoff poll”

  1. MSU still would have to beat Ole Miss, so we’ll see if they stay at #4.

    Then again, FSU and Oregon could lose and really mess things up, too.

    It’s funny, maybe I’m a prick for saying this, but I wasn’t glued to my TV last night, impatiently awaiting the official playoff rankings. Someone in the room mentioned Alabama was #1, and I casually changed the channel to see the rankings a few minutes later. I wasn’t thrilled. I wasn’t screaming and jumping out of my seat or fumbling my phone to go nuts on Twitter, and while I think I understand anyone else who would do things like that, it just didn’t have the same impact it seemed to have had on, say, MSU.

    Sure, it’s probably because Alabama has been there before and we aim to be the best rather than beat the best, but, and I think most Alabama fans would agree, the team in this 2014 season has already drastically exceeded any expectations I had.

    Blake Sims a superstar? I mean, I had high hopes and little doubt he could perform well, especially after the first two games, but performing at an elite level with one of the best QBR’s in the nation? And Cooper breaking records left and right? A punter who consistently makes Pele look weak? A defense that doesn’t just compete against HUNH teams and option QB’s but dominates them better than the elite defenses Alabama has fielded recently?

    And Lane Kiffin. Lane Kiffin? I’ll admir, I was skeptical but excited about Lane’s hire. I bought in. And I’ve loved seeing him coach in players’ faces on the sideline every single game.

    But what Kiffin and Kirby Smart have done is I think what defines this year’s Alabama team. Smart has taken young talent and relatively slower veterans and made them intelligent beyond their athleticism.

    Kiffin has done the exact same thing on offense. Look, Alabama simply doesn’t have a dominant offensive line like they did two years ago (does anyone have a great o-line this year besides maybe Arkansas?). Alabama simply can’t smash through everyone in the trenches all night long.

    But Kiffin has made it so Alabama doesn’t have to dominate across the board on offense. He takes advantage of opportunities, spreads the field, and gets the ball in the hands of Alabama’s playmakers so consistently that it’s impossible to understate the importance he’s had so far of getting Alabama into the top-ranked position and controlling their destiny.

    1. Good analysis, nope. This might be one of the best coaching jobs the staff has ever done, including the NC years.

      My prediction about the Aubie’s disappearing in November seems to be coming true. I hope it continues through Christmas.

      1. I don’t think Auburn will disappear. Recruiting alone has been impressive enough to give them attention.

        But I do think their defense has too far to go and their style of offense has been strategized against enough to make it less than invincible. Remember, as good as you think they were or weren’t last year, luck was a very determinate factor in how well their record held up, and this year it simply didn’t and for less reasons. Frankly it would have made more sense to me if Auburn’s win-loss records were reversed for 2013 and 2014, but here we are.

        Meanwhile, Alabama’s coaching has soared this season, but make no mistake that 2014 is still a relative rebuilding year. It’s hard to say where Alabama would be right now without Amari Cooper, not to mention losing other playmakers like Kenyan Drake, but 2015’s class looked stellar before this 2014 season even started.

        After seeing what these coaches have already done this year with this team, it’s difficult to not be excited as a fan or terrified as an opponent for Alabama’s next 2 seasons alone. The stakes have been raised. Everyone said Alabama was too slow and they needed to speed up to improve. It just goes to show you, be careful what you wish for…

        1. I agree. Right now, I’m just hoping no one gets injured against Western Carolina. I’m hoping the starters can start resting after the 1st Quarter.

          I also hope Samford takes Auburn all the way to the 4th Qtr 🙂

          1. That’s an excellent point.

            TJ Yeldon was begging to play against MSU.

            Begging. We all knew he was hurt. We saw he wasn’t 100%. But TJ Yeldon knows his 90% is better than some people’s 100%, and he’s trained to be hungry.

            And that’s a problem this weekend.

            Truth be told, every player will be hungry to play against WCU. They want reps. They want game time. They want that precious thing called experience.

            And that’s why it comes back to the coaches. They need to be aware when players should and shouldn’t play, and I’m not the one to tell them when that is.

            Amari Cooper will play Saturday, for example. Some might say he shouldn’t or that he’s too valuable to risk (you can replace his name with dozens of players on this team, by the way). And every play in coverage has a possibility of injury. It will be up to the coaches to make sure these guys get both the experience they need and the insurance of rest the team needs as a whole.

            But make no mistake whatsoever—-WCU is no pushover. Sure, they’re not D1 and that’s what Alabama gets a lot of complaints about, but frankly I’d rather face Vanderbilt than WCU or Southern Miss. Nick Saban doesn’t play style points and he also doesn’t have to, so don’t expect a pulverizing score, nor a shut-out on defense. Expect to see Tony Brown (among others), hopefully a lot. Sensational talent with a lot to learn; experience is vital for a guy like Tony.

  2. If Mississippi State is #4 now and it wins out against Vandy and Ole Miss, it would be a crime for the committee not to include State in the final four. It had them at one for five weeks and keeps them at four after one loss.

    On another note, I’m looking for Florida to at least put a scare into Fla State and wouldn’t be surprised if Muschamp could go out with a bang by upsetting the Seminoles.

  3. Oh Mississippi State was not ranked one in CFP poll for five weeks, sorry, CFP Poll hasn’t been going on that long. But State did top the CFP poll for the first two weeks.

    I would prefer that the Amway Coaches poll just go away…

    Still a lot of interesting scenarios that could play out, but if State and Bama both win out both should be in the top four and in he playoffs in my opinion

    1. I think tOSU still controls its own destiny into the top four.

      The problem is if any of the other current top four lose any games. Yikes.

  4. if two SEC teams are including in the “Final Four”, get ready for the wailing to change the format again.

    heh.

    #RTR

  5. If the selection committee puts two SEC teams in the playoffs, they had best sequester themselves inside Fort Knox and hire Kevin Costner; cause the SSS (Securitas Security Services) just won’t be enough. LMFAO!

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