The question of whether Alabama should be included in the College Football Playoff could once again become a polarizing topic of debate after Saturday, but longtime analyst Kirk Herbstreit feels that the Crimson Tide should already have a spot in the 12-team field.
Alabama is 10-2 and was ranked No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff ranking. They are preparing for their SEC Conference Championship Game against the 11-1 Bulldogs, who are currently ranked No. 3.
If Alabama were to lose to Georgia, they will have three losses on the season. They had three losses a year ago when they were left out of the College Football Playoff, but Herbstreit explained on ESPN’s “Get Up” Friday morning why he believes this year is different.
“I think what’s different in my mind is Alabama went to Athens and they played. They went into one of the toughest environments in the country and won,” Herbstreit said. “Now, their bonus round is they get to go play that same team on a neutral site. Unless they get blown out 59-0, if I were on the committee, I would have a very hard time punishing a team for going to their conference championship and playing a team that they already beat.”
.@KirkHerbstreit weighs in on what a loss in the SEC Championship for Alabama would mean ✍️ pic.twitter.com/dRGOpMQhWT
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 5, 2025
As Herbstreit said, Alabama already beat Georgia this year. Should the Crimson Tide lose on Saturday, the debate would be whether they deserve a spot in the CFP over two-loss teams, most notably No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 12 Miami. Neither Notre Dame nor Miami is playing in a conference championship game, so many will argue that Alabama should not be punished for playing an additional game — especially against a quality opponent they already beat.
Alabama lost to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma last year and did not reach the SEC Championship Game. It made sense for Kalen DeBoer’s team to be left out of the CFP under those circumstances, but the situation would be far more complicated this year if Alabama were to lose to Georgia after beating them already this season.
