I’m not quite sure what Hunter Yurachek was thinking, but it’s obvious that Alabama didn’t perform well against Auburn. Sure, they built a 17-0 lead, but soon enough, that advantage was eaten away by a five-win team with an interim coach. Honestly, if Cam Coleman hadn’t fumbled the ball, we might have seen overtime.
Yurachek mentioned that Alabama had a solid first half on the road against a rival, leading Auburn 17-6 at halftime. Similarly, Notre Dame, in their rivalry game, had a stellar first half, dominating the Cardinals 35-3 away from home.
The only explanation I can think of is that the committee wants to ensure the loser of the SEC Championship Game doesn’t drop out of playoff contention. When Chris Fowler from ESPN asked Yurachek directly whether the SEC Championship Game’s outcome would factor into their decision-making, he firmly denied it. But honestly, it’s hard to justify otherwise.
The praise for Alabama’s lackluster Iron Bowl performance and their supposed “gutsy” fourth-and-two calls feels pretty hollow. To draw a comparison to the Notre Dame game, remember when the Irish executed a fake punt from their own 15-yard line against Stanford? Isn’t that courageous enough in Yurachek’s opinion?
Alabama has victories over Georgia (ranked 3), Vanderbilt (14), Missouri (25 at the time they faced Alabama), and Tennessee (11 when they played Alabama). It’s evident to most that Alabama should be ranked ahead of Notre Dame. However, it’s pretty terrible to leave that decision lingering for over a month just to protect members of the so-called Good Old Boys Club from postseason exclusion.
