The Alabama Crimson Tide have practically made qualifying for the College Football Playoff a yearly tradition over the past eight years, which speaks to the program’s longevity atop the sport.
Nick Saban’s bunch has qualified for the four-team event seven times in the eight-year history of the event — failing to qualify during the team’s 11-2 season in 2019.
Alabama sports bettingis not legal and legislation seems a ways off, but there is great interest in the Crimson Tide beyond state lines.
In the Crimson Tide’s previous seven trips to the CFP, all but three of those squads had at least one loss entering the event.
Whether it was the 2014 and ’15 Crimson Tide squads’ 23-17 and 43-37 defeats to Ole Miss, or the 2017 team’s 26-14 Iron Bowl loss to Auburn — there is a precedent of Alabama teams falling during the regular season, only to reach the CFP anyway.
Whether this year’s Alabama team can do the same, after falling to Tennessee in Knoxville on Oct. 15 by a 52-49 score, remains to be seen.
BetAlabama.com looked at Alabama’s performance in the years since the debut of the College Football Playoff.
Alabama CFP Teams
2021: 13-2 total (12-1 entering CFP)
- Losses: 41-38 L in Week 6 to Texas A&M/CFP title loss (33-18) to UGA
2020: 13-0 total (11-0 entering CFP)
2018: 14-1 total (12-1 entering CFP)
- Loss: CFP title game (44-16 to Clemson)
2017: 13-1 total (11-1 entering CFP)
- Loss: 26-16 L to Auburn in Week 12
2016: 14-1 total (13-0 entering CFP)
- Loss: 35-14 CFP title game loss to Clemson
2015: 14-1 total (12-1 entering CFP)
- Loss: 43-37 L to Ole Miss in Week 3
2014: 12-2 total (11-1 entering CFP)
- Losses: 23-17 L to Ole Miss in Week 5/CFP opener loss (42-35) to Ohio State
Here’s where the Crimson Tide stand, entering the team’s bye week, and ahead of late-season showdowns with the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge on Nov. 5 and Ole Miss Rebels on Nov. 12.
No one is counting Alabama out of the CFP chase in 2022, or at least no one involved with any of the major mobile sportsbooks.
Saban’s bunch is currently third on BetMGM’s championship futures board, at +350, coming in behind Ohio State (+175) and fellow SEC power Georgia (+200).
While no betting lines have been put out for the Crimson Tide’s next game after their bye week, one can assume that Alabama will be a betting favorite against LSU on Nov. 5.
Alabama has won all four of its road games against LSU since the adoption of the CFP in 2014, beating the Tigers 20-13 (2014), 10-0 (2016), 29-0 (2018) and 55-17 (2020) during that stretch.
The Crimson Tide’s last loss in Death Valley came during the 2010 season, when LSU pulled off a 24-21 victory against a then-No. 5 ranked Alabama team as the 12th-ranked team in the nation.
LSU has seen its share of ups and downs on the gridiron this fall, overcoming a 24-23 loss in New Orleans to Florida State to reel off four consecutive victories, before crashing to earth in a 40-13 shellacking at the hands of Tennessee at home on Oct. 8.
Brian Kelly’s bunch has rebounded strongly since then, however, pulling off consecutive wins against Florida (45-35) and No. 7 Ole Miss (45-20) to move to 6-2 for the year.
The Tigers, like the Crimson Tide, enter their showdown on Nov. 5 off a bye week, meaning both teams will be well-rested and ready to rumble come the 6 p.m. Central time early November kickoff.
For now, Alabama faithful can enter their bye week knowing that the Crimson Tide are as well positioned as any of the school’s other CFP teams, entering the home stretch of the 2022 regular season.
For more coverage like this and any info on sports betting legislation, stay with BetAlabama.com. When sports betting does come to the state, it no doubt will be fueled by the vibrant college teams.
