As one of the most successful programs in college football history, Alabama has been a constant presence in the College Football Playoff (CFP) era. However, despite their dominance, the Crimson Tide has missed the playoff on a few occasions.
Since the CFP’s inception in 2014, Alabama has participated in the postseason tournament seven times, with only two notable exceptions. The first came in the 2022 season, when Alabama finished the year with a record of 10-2, but the Tide were ultimately left out of the playoff after a lackluster finish, including losses to LSU and Tennessee. Despite having one of the best resumes in college football, Alabama’s two losses prevented them from securing a top-four spot.
The second miss came in the 2024 season, where Alabama finished 11-2, including an SEC Championship victory over Georgia. While their strong finish was impressive, Alabama’s earlier losses to Texas and Ole Miss kept them out of the top four, securing a No. 5 spot in the final rankings and relegating them to a New Year’s Six bowl game instead of a playoff berth.
Throughout the CFP era, Alabama has been one of the most consistent teams, making the playoff in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021, including four national championships (2015, 2017, 2020, and 2021). Their two missed years highlight just how difficult it is to consistently maintain such a high level of performance, but also how rare it is for a program of Alabama’s stature to fall short of playoff contention.
