The short answer? Yes.
The long answer? Yes, absolutely.
Thanks to fellow Student Union writer Cody Goggin, we publish a Top 25 College Football Poll every week compiled of our picks and rankings among the contributors.
Thanks to another SU writer, PJ Guippone, my hot takes have been exposed.
In a piece published simultaneously with the SU25, PJ bashed my rankings, which left the Alabama Crimson Tide off of the list completely.
I get it. It’s an unpopular stance, but am I wrong?
Their best win is against an unranked Texas A&M squad in a game that finished with a single-digit deficit. After that, what? A week one victory over #3 Florida State looks fairly nice, right? Wrong.
The Seminoles have doubled over and called it quits. They’re one loss away from no longer qualifying for a BOWL GAME. Spoiler alert: FSU takes on Clemson this upcoming weekend. If you thought the Notre Dame “4-8” jokes were brutal, just wait.
Anyways, the point is, Alabama hasn’t played anybody.
Sure, they’re undefeated, but this is Alabama we’re talking about. They are a perennial contender and create an incredible recruiting class on a consistent basis. What are they hiding from? It’s not their fault FSU has been a complete tire fire this season, but it doesn’t help them with the committee either.
In the coming weeks, ‘Bama will take on LSU, Auburn, Mississippi St. and in all likelihood, the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship; all ranked teams to make up for the sins of the Crimson Tide’s scheduling coordinator.
Sure, if they sweep the remainder of their schedule, their #1 ranking will have been earned, but until I see something that actually proves to me why Alabama is ranked #1 in the nation when they’ve been playing an FCS schedule to this point, I will continue to treat them like an FCS team.
What about Wisconsin and Miami? Why not give them the same treatment?
The argument here is that Wisconsin and Miami haven’t played anybody, either. Well, that’s just false. Wisconsin’s best victory came against a Northwestern Wildcats team that has done nothing but impress with back-to-back victories against Iowa and Michigan State.
As for Miami, their best win came against a Syracuse team that had taken down the defending champion Clemson Tigers just a week prior. They haven’t had their chance against any ranked opponent yet, but their matchups haven’t exactly cakewalks, either. That’s a similar argument for why Alabama is overrated, but the realization that Miami wasn’t built like Alabama is necessary. And there’s a difference between unranked breezes and unranked battles.
Hey Patrick, are you on something?
Absolutely not. I just believe that it’s bananas that Alabama is allowed to be ranked when they’re still playing a preseason schedule and other teams are duking it out in the trenches.
If Alabama wins out, then yes, of course they deserve a Playoff spot, but that’s a big “if” with four matchups against ranked rivals on the horizon.
If I’m wrong, I’ll voluntarily tweet this page to @OldTakesExposed and I’ll accept any and all hate from the #RollTide crew.
But if I’m right and Alabama loses one to two games before the season’s end, you can bet that I’m going to be shouting from the rooftops:
“ALABAMA IS OVERRATED.”