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Dan Mullen was once an SEC head coach at Florida and Mississippi State, and while he never reached the greatest heights where a College Football Playoff spot was at stake, he knows what Kalen DeBoer and Mario Cristobal are going through.
DeBoer and Cristobal, the head coaches at Alabama and Miami, respectively, have just completed regular seasons that are good but not good enough to solidify Playoff spots. Instead, their teams are locked in a controversy over which one will get one of the last spots in the inaugural 12-team Playoff that will be announced on Sunday.
Alabama is Alabama, but the Crimson Tide lost 3 games this season, including to 6-6 teams Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. But Alabama also beat Georgia in possibly the game of the year in late September, and the Crimson Tide also have quality wins over South Carolina, Missouri and LSU.
Meanwhile, Miami was probably cruising toward a Playoff berth until it stumbled badly last Saturday, blowing a 21-0 lead in a 42-38 loss at Syracuse. The Hurricanes were punished in Tuesday night’s latest Playoff rankings, dropping 6 spots to No. 12 while Alabama moved up 2 spots to No. 11.
Mullen, currently an ESPN college football analyst, gave his take on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday:
“I would go Miami above Alabama, that would be me on the outside. Then when I dig in, I would be a hypocrite,” said Mullen. “Winning is what matters. It’s hard to win. When you break it down, Alabama has better wins than Miami. They also have worse losses.
“Which one do you go about and where is the criteria?” asked Mullen.
"Alabama has better wins than Miami. They also have worse losses."@CoachDanMullen talks with @PatMcAfeeShow about Alabama being ranked ahead of Miami in the latest CFP rankings ✍️ pic.twitter.com/YpDruF8HV3
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 4, 2024
The whole Miami-Alabama debate will be decided on Selection Sunday, when either one gets in, both get in or neither does. All 3 scenarios are possible, especially if chaos reigns on Championship Weekend.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
