Alabama is sitting at No. 5 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, and even though that appears oh-so-close to the top four, the very real possibility exists that the Tide could end the season where they sit right now.
On the outside looking in.
After the Crimson Tide lost at home to LSU on Saturday, all the quibbling started about how the selection committee would balance a tough loss that came down to the wire with their less-than-stellar schedule. Would the committee keep them in the top four as one of the unequivocal best teams in the country, or would they drop them out because a loss combined with no Top 25 wins made it impossible to justify the ranking?