In front of a sold-out crowd in Atlanta, Georgia, the Alabama Crimson Tide rolled to another SEC Championship. Alabama came into the SEC Championship playing with nothing to lose, and the Crimson Tide found a way to win over the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. As day turned to night and the Crimson Tide celebrated their SEC Championship victory, conversations around the sport shifted to Alabama making the 2023 College Football Playoff as a one-loss SEC Champion.

For Nick Saban and his team, there is no question as to if they belong in the 2023 Playoffs. Winning the Southeastern Conference Championship over the undefeated two-time National Champion, Georgia Bulldogs, and running the tables in the SEC in an average year would be enough for the selection committee to put Alabama in. However, we live in a time frame where participation trophies are a thing to those who play weaker competition.

Florida State is an undefeated ACC Champion, but the ACC is the weakest conference in college football. Going undefeated is always an impressive feat, but winning the ACC is the most underwhelming thing to do. We’re talking about the same conference that had their runner-up in Louisville get embarrassed at home to a bottom feeder from the Southeastern Conference in Kentucky last Saturday.

However, the committee did the right thing and put Alabama in the 2023 College Football Playoffs. Alabama will head west to the Rose Bowl to play Michigan for a trip to the National Championship on the line. Alabama and Michigan last met in 2020 when the Crimson Tide dismantled the Wolverines 35-16. Michigan, winners of the Big 10 Championship, comes into the Alabama game surrounded by scandal following a cheating scandal linked to the success of Michigan.

Early on, from a matchup standpoint, Alabama is the better team than Michigan. Alabama has the better defense and wins the battle at quarterback as Jalen Milroe has shaped into one of the best players in football. Running the tables in the Southeastern Conference prepares Alabama for anything Michigan will throw its way on New Year’s Day at the Rose Bowl. A win over Michigan on January 1st could give the Crimson Tide a rematch with Texas in the National Championship.