😡 TUSCALOOSA, AL — The disappointment radiating from the Alabama Crimson Tide fanbase after the demoralizing SEC Championship Game loss to the Georgia Bulldogs has reached a boiling point, and even program legends are turning against the team’s CFP prospects. Former Heisman Trophy winner and Alabama star Mark Ingram did not hold back, delivering a blunt assessment that the 28-7 defeat was so damning it should disqualify the Tide from the College Football Playoff.
Ingram, now a prominent College Football analyst, argued forcefully on the post-game broadcast that the nature of the defeat effectively nullifies any previous goodwill or reputation, declaring that the three-loss Alabama team should be left out of the 12-team field.
The Verdict: “Bama, You’re Out”
Alabama’s performance was subpar in nearly every facet of the game, registering its third loss of the year. For Ingram, the size of the loss in a high-stakes setting was the ultimate undoing.
“Bama, you play Georgia in the SEC Championship and you lose by 21? I got too much Bama in me, but you’re out,” Ingram stated unequivocally.
He continued, arguing that the CFP Selection Committee faces a difficult, but necessary, decision in rewarding teams that finished strong: “Now, Miami and Notre Dame both should get in in my opinion. I think that’s the decision the committee’s going to have to make.”
Ingram’s passionate plea underscores a core issue for the Crimson Tide: teams must perform well in critical moments. He pointed to the specific flaws in the Alabama resume, which now includes two significant double-digit losses.
“And in the championship game, you have to play well in the championship game! You play bad in the championship game, you get punished by it,” he asserted, adding that the Tide’s ugly performance should be viewed as a penalty by the committee.
The Three-Loss Precedent
If the committee follows Ingram’s suggestion and omits the Tide, Alabama Football would make unwanted history as the first three-loss team to be left out of the expanded 12-team CFP field. The current debate centers on whether the committee will prioritize the Tide’s history and overall strength of schedule—which includes a regular-season win over Georgia—over the visual evidence of regression and the three-loss total.
While Head Coach Kalen DeBoer championed his team’s inclusion post-game, highlighting their conference championship participation, Ingram and other analysts argue that the poor showing actually negates that benefit.
The final at-large spots are effectively a battle between the three-loss Alabama squad and two-loss teams like Notre Dame and Miami Hurricanes. Both the Irish and Hurricanes finished their regular seasons strong, and Ingram believes their cleaner records and recent form outweigh Alabama’s brand equity, especially after the lopsided defeat in Atlanta.
The final decision by the CFP Committee on Selection Sunday will determine if the tradition and history of the Alabama Crimson Tide brand can overcome a damning 21-point loss to their rival, or if Ingram’s brutal assessment—that performance in the final game dictates punishment—will prevail.