Alabama's Road to the College Football Playoff

SI Staff | Dec 29, 2014

Alabama's Road to the College Football Playoff

Alabama 33, West Virginia 23 (Aug. 30)

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The Crimson Tide won a closer-than-expected opener thanks to a big performance from running back T.J. Yeldon, who rushed for 126 yards with two touchdowns.

Alabama 41, Florida Atlantic 0 (Sept. 6)

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Bama blanked the Owls in a game called early because of lightning. That didn’t stop Amari Cooper from going off: He had 13 catches for 189 yards and a touchdown.

Alabama 52, Southern Miss 12 (Sept. 13)

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Alabama woke up from a slow start behind a breakout effort from quarterback Blake Sims, who went 12-of-17 passing for 168 yards with two touchdowns.

Alabama 42, Florida 21 (Sept. 20)

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Despite being tied at 21 in the third quarter, Alabama rolled to an easy victory. The Tide rattled off 21 unanswered points behind Sims and Cooper, who connected 10 times for 201 yards and three touchdowns.

Ole Miss 23, Alabama 17 (Oct. 4)

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The Tide took their lone loss in the season in Oxford, Miss., where the Rebels rallied from an 11-point deficit to win. Alabama’s last-gasp effort fell short when Ole Miss cornerback Senquez Golson intercepted Sims’ fourth-quarter pass.

Alabama 14, Arkansas 13 (Oct. 11)

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It wasn’t pretty, but Bama held off Arkansas to avoid consecutive losses. Trey DePriest forced a key fumble in the first quarter, and Landon Collins made a crucial interception in the fourth.

Alabama 59, Texas A&M 0 (Oct. 18)

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This one was over in a hurry. Alabama obliterated Texas A&M behind a second-quarter onslaught in which the Tide scored 35 points. It was the first time the Aggies were shut out since 2003.

Alabama 34, Tennessee 20 (Oct. 25)

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Cooper continued his stellar 2014 season in Knoxville, Tenn. Alabama’s star receiver opened the scoring with touchdown grabs of 80 and 41 yards and finished with 224 yards on the night.

Alabama 20, LSU 13 OT (Nov. 8)

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The Tide seemed dead when LSU had the ball at the six-yard line and 1:13 to go in a 10-10 game. But the Tigers settled for a field goal, and Bama evened it up with three seconds left. Sims hit DeAndrew White for the game-winning score in overtime.

Alabama 25, Mississippi State 20 (Nov. 15)

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Alabama handed Mississippi State its first loss thanks to a dominant performance from the defense. Bama opened the scoring with a safety and kept the Bulldogs out of the end zone until early in the fourth quarter.

Alabama 48, Western Carolina 14 (Nov. 22)

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As expected, Alabama stomped FCS-level Western Carolina. Running back Derrick Henry was the difference-maker, scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter and finishing with 12 carries for 92 yards.

Alabama 55, Auburn 44 (Nov. 29)

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Auburn seemed in position to upset the Tide after taking a 33-21 lead early in the third quarter. But Bama hung 34 second-half points to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive. Sims was the star: He went 20-of-27 for 312 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions, and rushed for 23 yards with a score.

Alabama 42, Missouri 13 (Dec. 6)

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There was no drama in the SEC Championship Game: Alabama raced out to a 14-0 lead and never looked back. Henry and Yeldon both found the end zone twice as Alabama secured a spot in the Sugar Bowl.