By most metrics, Saturday’s Alabama win over Charleston Southern was no measuring stick at all. Even a top 10 team in the NCAA FCS Division is unlikely to be a match for an SEC team — although don’t tell The Citadel that — and the Buccanneers were a prime example of a case where the spirit was willing but the roster was lacking. The yardage Alabama gained offensively, or the stifling that it administered defensively, was no surprise.
The margin of victory was going to mean little to the College Football Playoff selectors unless it was under 10 points.