Not Dead Yet For CFP: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Alabama 34, Austin Peay 0

The final word on the Crimson Tide's home shutout against Governors and an updated look at its very-real College Football Playoff hopes.

Knock, knock?

Who's There? 

Alabama Crimson Tide. Remember us?

Yes, even though Alabama is dealing with a two-loss season, the reports of its demise regarding the College Football Playoff have turned out to be premature. 

At No. 8 in last week's CFP rankings, the Crimson Tide needed four teams ahead of it to falter in order to move into position for a possible spot in the semifinals. 

It came extremely close to having just that on Saturday, only to see No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 TCU win on field goals as time expired (19-17 over Illinois, and 29-28 at Baylor, respectively), and Southern California hold on to beat UCLA (48-45). 

But Alabama got the outcome it needed the most to have a realistic shot at the playoff, No. 5 Tennessee losing at South Carolina. The 63-38 final ended the Volunteers playoff chances. 

We've said all along that the selection committee would be extremely hard-pressed to have three teams from the same conference in the playoff, and the Crimson Tide was stuck behind both the Volunteers and the No. 6 LSU Tigers, the two teams that eked out final-play wins over Alabama at home.  

However, if LSU can't beat No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta (or somehow loses at Texas A&M next week) Alabama becomes the league's second option should the Crimson Tide manage to beat Auburn next week at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

Either way, let the scoreboard watching commence, with Alabama fans hoping for the following:  

• No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 2 Ohio State not to be close. The winner still has to play in the Big Ten Championship Game, but the loser has no way to add anything to its resume. The Wolverines have had the weaker schedule having faced just one ranked opponent this season, so solid loss can put them behind the Crimson Tide.  

• No. 4 TCU to lose at least once. It hosts Iowa State before playing the Big 12 Championship Game against an opponent to be determined but most likely Kansas State. 

• No. 9 Clemson not to leapfrog ahead in the rankings. It hosts South Carolina before playing one-loss North Carolina for the ACC title. The Tigers have three wins against ranked teams, but lost 35-14 to Notre Dame.

• USC to lose. The Trojans host Notre Dame and then play in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Oregon can still be a spoiler after defeating Utah last Saturday night, 20-17, but its two losses are 49-3 to Georgia and 37-34 to Washington. 

Wouldn't it be strange, though, to see Alabama's chances of making the playoff hinge on former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix and the Ducks against Southern California in the Pac-12 title game? Stranger things have happened. 

As for Alabama's 34-0 victory over Austin Peay: 

Player of the Game: Running back Jase McClellan had a career-high 156 rushing yards on 17 carries, averaging 9.2 yards per attempt, and two touchdown

Play of the Game: Safety Brian Branch's interception early in the fourth quarter ended Austin Peay's effort to end the shutout, and was the first play, on first-and-10 at the Crimson Tide 37, after Alabama was called for a false start on fourth-and-2.  

Statistic of the Game: Austin Peay's offense was limited to one explosive play (run of 13-plus yards, and pass 17-plus yards). 

The Good 

• Alabama's defense limited Austin Peay to 77 offensive yards in the second half, during which the Governors were just 1-for-7 on third-down conversions.  

• Bryce Young's 75 percent completion percentage (18 of 24) was his best of the season. He topped that four times during his Hesiman Trophy season, against Southern Miss, Ole Miss, New Mexico State and Arkansas. 

• Of Austin Peay's 53 yards after the catch, 32 came one play. The other 21 were spread out over 19 receptions.  

The Bad 

• Alabama had a nice drive going, from its own 13 to the Austin Peay 28, when on third-and-9. Jalen Milroe made a bad decision and tried to force a pass near the goal-line that was picked off. 

• The Crimson Tide didn't really go after starting quarterback Mike DiLiello, who completed 20 for 32 attempts for 147 yards. But it was the first time since the season opener against Utah State that Alabama did not record a sack.

• Austin Peay held Alabama to 34 points, which is the fewest points the Crimson Tide has scored against an FCS team since the subdivision originated in 1978. It was also the fewest points the Governors have allowed to an SEC team, and against an FBS team since losing to Miami (OH), 31-10, in 2017.

The Ugly 

Too many hits on Young, including when unnecessarily fighting for extra yards near the end zone. Alabama's fortunate he didn't take another shot to the head, or suffer another injury when taking the blindside hit on the corner blitz.  

5 Things That We Also Noticed ...

1] Branch led the Crimson Tide with six solo tackles, while the defensive backs were credited with 18. 

2] Alabama has scored 54 touchdowns this season, and is averaging 40 points scored per game compared to 39.87 in 2021. Defensively, the Crimson went from yielding 13.3 points per game last season to 20.1, and that's after recording its second shutout this season. 

3] The Crimson Tide defense had two interceptions in a game for the first time since the 2021 SEC Championship Game against Georgia. Alabama had more than one pickoff in four games last season. 

4] After having a team-record 17 penalties at Tennessee, Alabama has had five or fewer flags in three of the last four games. 

5] The headline on the Austin Peay website: "Govs stem the Tide with three takeaways in regular-season finale."

See Also:

Inspirational Win? No. But Alabama Still Notches 34-0 Businesslike Victory Over Austin Peay

No. 8 Alabama Defeats Austin Peay, 34-0

Alabama Defense Creates Season-High Turnovers in Shutout Win

Alabama Finally Wakes Up to Put Away Austin Peay

Jase McClellan Runs Around, Over and Through Austin Peay Defense

Instant Analysis: No. 8 Alabama 34, Austin Peay 0

WR Jermaine Burton Has Best Game in Alabama Uniform

Everything Nick Saban Said After Alabama's Victory Over Austin Peay

Notebook: Low Turnout, No Big Deal for Crimson Tide Players

Get your Crimson Tide tickets from SI Tickets HERE.