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🏈 Good morning to all, however particularly to …

THE NO. 11 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE … AND THE REST OF THE PROJECTED COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF TEAMS

The Alabama Crimson Tide have not rolled like regular this season, and but, with its common season over, Kalen DeBoer‘s membership is in place to make the School Soccer Playoff. Alabama jumped to No. 11 within the newest School Soccer Playoff Rankings, forward of different potential at-large candidates equivalent to No. 12 Miami (which fell from No. 6), No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 14 South Carolina.

This is the highest 15 (italics imply first-round bye):

1. Oregon (12-0) | Projected No. 1 seed
2. Texas (11-1) | Projected No. 2 seed
3. Penn State (11-1) | Projected No. 5 seed
4. Notre Dame (11-1) | Projected No. 6 seed
5. Georgia (10-2) | Projected No. 7 seed
6. Ohio State (10-2) | Projected No. 8 seed
7. Tennessee (10-2) | Projected No. 9 seed
8. SMU (11-1) | Projected No. 3 seed
9. Indiana (11-1) | Projected No. 10 seed
10. Boise State (11-1) | Projected No. 4 seed
11. Alabama (9-3) | Projected No. 11 seed
12. Miami (10-2)
13. Ole Miss (9-3)
14. South Carolina (9-3)
15. Arizona State (10-2) | Projected No. 12 seed

Bear in mind, rankings don’t equal seed. The 5 highest-ranked convention champions (out of the ACC, Large 12, Large Ten, SEC and the Group of 5 conferences) are assured a berth, and the 4 highest-ranked convention champions get the 4 high seeds and the accompanying first-round bye. As such, that is what the bracket would appear like:

This is the primary spherical:

• BYES: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 SMU, No. 4 Boise State
• No. 12 Arizona State at No. 5 Penn State
• No. 11 Alabama at No. 6 Notre Dame
• No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Georgia
• No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State

In contrast to Alabama, No. 17 Clemson is taking part in on championship weekend, and the Tigers might bounce up and “steal” a bid in the event that they upset No. 8 SMU within the ACC Championship Recreation. Principally, Alabama followers are HUGE SMU followers this weekend. Moreover, the Mountain West Championship Recreation (No. 10 Boise State vs. No. 20 UNLV) and the Large 12 Championship Recreation (No. 15 Arizona State vs. No. 16 Iowa State) are primarily play-in video games.

You might be questioning how three-loss Alabama — left for useless two weeks in the past — is on this place. I am not on the choice committee, so I do not know its actual ideas, however here is a tough define:

• Alabama is forward of two-loss Miami as a result of the Hurricanes misplaced two of their final three video games, had a number of slender wins and boast zero wins over ranked groups.
• Alabama is forward of Ole Miss as a result of, although the Rebels even have three losses, Alabama has a stronger resume outdoors each groups’ finest win — over Georgia — and Ole Miss’ worst loss (vs. Kentucky) is worse than Alabama’s worst loss (at Oklahoma)
• Alabama is forward of South Carolina as a result of, although the Gamecocks even have three losses, Alabama has the head-to-head win.

No, it will not fulfill everybody. However, for now, that is how we received right here.

👍 Honorable mentions

😖 And never such morning for …

THE NO. 12 MIAMI HURRICANES AND THE ACC

Miami was on this part Monday, two days after shedding at Syracuse, and it is right here once more after touchdown on what seems to be the improper aspect of the Playoff bubble.

There are reliable causes to query why Miami fell six spots after shedding by 4 at nine-win Syracuse when Alabama solely fell six spots after a 21-point loss at six-win Oklahoma.

However there’s additionally a reliable reply: The Crimson Tide has higher wins, one thing committee chair Warde Manuel talked about particularly.

• Alabama has wins over the present No. 5 (Georgia), No. 14 (South Carolina) and No. 19 (Missouri).
• Miami doesn’t have a win over any present CFP-ranked groups. The Hurricanes didn’t play SMU or Clemson and misplaced to Syracuse.

Principally, Miami has no nice wins to guard its rating. Alabama does.

Nonetheless, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips and Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich blasted the committee, and John Talty sees their level.

• Talty: “The ACC rebuttal is you possibly can solely play the groups you’ve gotten in your schedule, which is true, however that does not diminish the truth that groups that play robust schedules must be rewarded. And whereas it did not work out for Florida State final 12 months, if Miami gained all its video games this season, it would be in. … The difficulty is that the choice committee but once more wasn’t constant in its method. If Alabama received the good thing about the doubt over Miami, so too ought to have Ole Miss and South Carolina, the SEC’s different three-loss groups. … The advantage of the doubt will all the time go to Alabama over the ACC.”

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏀 NBA Cup quarterfinal spherical set

Group play for the second NBA Cup has ended, and we’re right down to eight groups.

In case you forgot, the NBA Cup is an in-season match the place the 30 groups have been divided up into six teams (three in every convention) of 5 groups.

• In group play, every group performed the opposite 4 groups of their group, with the group with the very best report in every group advancing (tiebreaker: head-to-head). In order that’s six advancing groups proper there.
• Then, each conferences despatched one “wild card” group — the group that did not win its group however had the convention’s finest level differential amongst non-group-winning groups — via as properly. That is how we get to eight.

So here is who’s advancing:

• East No. 1: Bucks (Group B winner)
• East No. 2: Knicks (Group A winner)
• East No. 3: Hawks (Group C winner)
• East No. 4: Magic (wild card group, Group A runner-up)
• West No. 1: Thunder (Group B winner)
• West No. 2: Rockets (Group A winner)
• West No. 3: Warriors (Group C winner)
• West No. 4: Mavericks (wild card group, Group C runner-up)

The quarterfinals are Dec. 10-11 with the 4 larger seeds internet hosting. The primary night time, subsequent Tuesday, will characteristic the No. 1 Bucks taking part in host to the No. 4 Magic at 7 p.m. ET, and the No. 1 Thunder internet hosting the No. 4 Mavericks at 9:30 p.m. The second night time will showcase the No. 2 Knicks internet hosting the No. 3 Hawks at 7 p.m. ET, and the No. 2 Rockets internet hosting the No. 3 Warriors at 9:30 p.m. The semifinals and closing will probably be held in Las Vegas on Dec. 14 and 17.

🏈 Week 14 NFL Energy Rankings

 The highest 5 of Pete Prisco’s NFL Energy Rankings remained the identical as final week’s:

1. Lions
2. Payments
3. Chiefs
4. Eagles
5. Vikings

That is smart contemplating all 5 groups gained in Week 13, however nobody had a extra spectacular win than the Eagles beating the Ravens in Baltimore.

• Prisco: “No matter Nick Sirianni did throughout that bye week, he ought to bottle it and promote it to different coaches … Saquon Barkley has been on a tear through the eight-game streak, displaying his greatness but in addition displaying how the Eagles can beat you down with their run sport. They ran it on 12 consecutive performs to the game-clinching landing Sunday towards the Ravens. That is brutish soccer towards a group recognized to be a bully.”

At this second, fourth even feels low for Philly.

I additionally loved Doug Clawson inspecting how the Eagles examine favorably to the Tremendous Bowl-winning 1992 Cowboys.

🏈 Nationwide Signing Day storylines, what to know