LSU’s College Football Playoff Odds Drop, Alabama Loses | LSU

At the start of Saturday it was clear what was at stake.

The winner will receive inside track to advance to the 12-team College Football Playoff. The loser would essentially be eliminated from playoff discussion.

LSU was the loser of that trial on Saturday, falling to Alabama 42-13 at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers were the No. 15 team in the first edition of the CFP rankings on Tuesday, but will surely fall in the standings after the lopsided loss.

“I was thrilled with their preparation. They were ready to play,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said. “You know, I’m taking responsibility and not putting our guys in the right position tonight.”

But Saturday’s loss for LSU was more than just a missed opportunity. Given what’s happening around the country, the Tigers had a chance to climb even higher in the CFP rankings with a win on Saturday.

Ole Miss defeated third-seeded Georgia to keep its playoff hopes alive and hand the Bulldogs their second loss. In theory, the Rebels’ win would have improved LSU’s potential playoff resumption had they won Saturday.

A win over Alabama might have forced the committee to let LSU face Ole Miss for one of the last open playoff spots. The Tigers’ win over the Rebels last month would have been helpful in determining which team would have the upper hand in this debate.

Additionally, undefeated Miami suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of Georgia Tech earlier this afternoon. The Hurricanes were the No. 4 team in the committee rankings entering the weekend.

Their loss leaves SMU at the top of the standings and the ACC’s only undefeated team in conference play. However, the Mustangs suffered a loss to BYU in Week 2.

More chaos in other conferences like the ACC only increases the SEC’s chances of adding more teams to the playoffs. With that in mind, Iowa State and Pittsburgh’s loss on Saturday for the second straight year – after they started their season 8-0 – was nothing but good news for the SEC’s playoff contenders.

After the loss, however, Kelly had no interest in talking about the playoffs or any missed opportunities the Tigers might have.

“We’re disappointed in our performance… These guys aren’t saying, ‘Hey, we’re out of the playoffs,'” Kelly said. “That’s not what they’re disappointed about. They’re disappointed and I’m disappointed that we didn’t live up to the standards of LSU football.”

The stars were aligned this week for LSU to potentially crack the 12-team field when the new rankings were announced Tuesday. The only problem was that it couldn’t mind its own business against the Crimson Tide.