Nick Saban tried. Alabama's coach found whatever megaphone was available to him Saturday night to plead the Crimson Tide's case to make the College Football Playoff.
He suggested looking at the top four through the lens of, "How are they playing at the present?" He asked, "If we played these teams in question, would we be underdogs in the game or not?"
But the committee didn't budge. Betting lines aren't part of its criteria, after all. It meets in Grapevine, Texas, not in Las Vegas.
There would be no leapfrogging Ohio State or TCU.