What a difference a week can make. That’s especially true for the Alabama Crimson Tide, who came into Week 11 a borderline College Football Playoff team in most experts’ postseason projections.
But after soundly beating the LSU Tigers 42-13, Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide have gone from being a mere Playoff contender to a much deeper projection in one expert’s prediction.
That’s according to the latest College Football Playoff projections from USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith, who updated his weekly postseason picks Tuesday. Smith now sees Alabama not only making the Playoff, but going all the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Here’s how Smith sees it happening. He projects Alabama, as a No. 7 seed, to beat the No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers in a first-round game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. From there, he has the Crimson Tide beating projected ACC champion Miami in the Peach Bowl, then taking down the Ole Miss Rebels in the semifinals at the Orange Bowl.
Doing that would put Alabama in the title game against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Atlanta on Jan. 20, 2025, Smith predicts.
Smith’s four projected conference champions are the Oregon Ducks, Texas Longhorns, BYU…
