With two losses in their last three games, the Alabama Crimson Tide‘s College Football Playoff hopes are looking bleak.
The Crimson Tide (5-2) fell 24-17 to the Tennessee Volunteers in the annual ‘Third Saturday in October’ rivalry last Saturday — two weeks after a stunning 40-35 loss to quarterback Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville.
That’s put Kalen DeBoer’s team on the outside looking in for the College Football Playoff race, according to the latest postseason projections from USA TODAY Sports analyst Erick Smith.
Smith has Alabama facing the Indiana Hoosiers and former Nick Saban assistant Curt Cignetti in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31 in Orlando. Alabama last played in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2020, a 35-16 victory over Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines.
While it’s not the matchup Alabama fans would prefer, Tide vs. Hoosiers would be a first. The two schools have never met on the gridiron in either the regular season or a bowl game.
Smith has the Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, Clemson Tigers and Kansas State Wildcats as his four projected conference champions who would receive a first-round bye in the Playoff.
RELATED: SEC Power Rankings: New No. 1 team after loaded Week 8 slate
Alabama could improve its Playoff stock significantly in its next two games. The Tide hosts the 17th-ranked Missouri Tigers Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. After a bye in Week 10, Alabama visits Baton Rouge for the latest chapter in its rivalry with a surging LSU Tigers team on Nov. 9.
Kickoff for Alabama-Missouri this Saturday is set for 2:30 p.m. The game can be seen on ABC.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama news and notes, plus opinions.