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Perhaps if Alabama had remained competitive against 6-6 Oklahoma instead of failing to score a single touchdown in a 24-3 blowout, it would be preparing for the College Football Playoff.
Instead, it is an SMU team that lost by just three points in each of its two defeats getting ready for a potential run at a championship.
To hear College Football Playoff chairman Warde Manuel tell it, the Mustangs keeping things close in their three-point losses to BYU and Clemson played a factor in their inclusion in the 12-team field over the Crimson Tide.