Crimson Tide football

Alabama apparently didn’t make much of an impression on the CFP playoff committee following its pasting of LSU last weekend. The panel that picks teams for the first ever playoffs only ticked the Tide up by one slot to number ten. Alabama’s next opportunity to make an impression is tomorrow when Mercer comes to Bryant-Denny Stadium

The Auburn Tigers host Louisiana-Monroe hoping to keep their shaky postseason hopes alive. The Tigers must win their last three games to become bowl eligible and avoid a fourth straight losing season. The Warhawks are 5-4 in coach Bryant Vincent's first season but they're trying to snap a three-game losing streak.

Alabama is set to host FCS Mercer after a big win over LSU. The ninth-ranked Crimson Tide are fresh from a 42-13 win at LSU and face a lower-division opponent before closing the regular season against fellow Southeastern Conference teams Oklahoma and Auburn.

The last time a Kalen DeBoer team lost two games by mid-October, his Washington Huskies suddenly went on a tear. DeBoer and No. 9 Alabama would love a repeat after a dominant road win over then-No. 14 LSU. The Crimson Tide get a reprieve from Southeastern Conference play Saturday against FCS team Mercer before resuming the chase for league championship and playoff shots.

Alabama’s defense suffered a major blow heading into the final games of the regular season with edge rusher Que Robinson out for the rest of the season with a left arm injury. Robinson was injured in the second half of No. 9 Alabama’s 42-13 victory over then-No. 14 LSU on Saturday night.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is The Associated Press national player of the week in college football. Milroe ran 12 times for career highs of 185 yards and four touchdowns and completed 12 of 18 passes for 109 yards in a 42-13 win at LSU. Milroe set the school season record with 16 rushing touchdowns. His 72-yard rushing touchdown against LSU was the longest TD run of his career.

Alabama’s chances to make the first ever twelve team playoffs may have received a shot in the arm. The Crimson Tide are now ranked number nine in the AP Top twenty five after thrashing LSU in Death Valley forty two to thirteen.

Good news for Alabama and bad news for Georgia and Miami prompted a reshuffling of the AP Top 25. Georgia lost to Ole Miss, prompting the Bulldogs to drop to Alabama’s previous spot at eleven. This is the first time Georgia has been out of the top ten since late in the 2020 season.

Jalen Milroe highlighted a career-high 185 yards rushing with four scoring runs, and the Crimson Tide routed 14th-ranked LSU 42-13 on a rainy Saturday night.

The annual Alabama-LSU rivalry is Exhibit A this weekend for how the expanded College Football Playoff has changed what constitutes a high-stakes game in November. Both teams have two losses and neither has a top 10 ranking.