While the Alabama Crimson Tide’s chances to eventually make the College Football Playoff suffered what was a big blow last Saturday with a loss in Norman, the program is still not out of it entirely either.
In fact, based on the latest CFP Rankings from Tuesday night, Alabama currently sits just on the outside, and could in fact see themselves back in the bracket a week from now based on how this weekend plays out across college football.
However, the Crimson Tide will still have to win the Iron Bowl against the Auburn Tigers in order for this to happen, while also hoping that a few other teams across college football create some chaos as well. Just which teams does Alabama need to lose this weekend however in order to jump back into the CFP?
Let’s take a look at five games in particular set to be played in Week 14, as well as list some teams which Alabama fans should be cheering for to win this Saturday.
Week 14 Opponent: vs. No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
As for our first team, let’s go out west to Los Angeles where the USC Trojans (6-5) will play host to the No. 5 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-1) on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. For a Notre Dame program whose best win is a road victory over the Texas A&M Aggies, it will be key for the Fighting Irish, who have a loss at home to Northern Illinois, not to slip up at USC, and if they do, then their CFP outlook could come into question not being in a conference.
South Carolina Gamecocks
Week 14 Opponent: at No. 12 Clemson Tigers
Next, the result that could potentially impact Alabama in the rankings most is the matchup between the No. 12 ranked Clemson Tigers (9-2) hosting the No. 15 South Carolina Gamecocks (8-3) at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN this Saturday. Clemson is the lone team sitting between Alabama and the CFP field, and with a South Carolina win, the Tigers would certainly drop below the Crimson Tide, while the Gamecocks, even despite a big win, would likely still be behind Alabama in the rankings whom they lost to 27-25 back in October.
Syracuse Orange
Week 14 Opponent: vs. No. 6 Miami Hurricanes
Looking at the ACC, the No. 6 ranked Miami Hurricanes (10-1) need a road victory at the Syracuse Orange (8-3) to keep their conference title hopes alive, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN this Saturday. A loss Saturday could be detrimental to Miami’s CFP hopes who already have a loss this season this season at Georgia Tech, while their best win is a 52-45 road victory at Louisville.
Week 14 Opponent: at No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers
Next up is arguably the unlikeliest upset to happen this weekend in the Purdue Boilermakers on the road at the No. 10 ranked Indiana Hoosiers this Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. Indiana’s margin of error this weekend is zero, and based on a Hoosiers team whose resume is highlighted by a 20-15 win over Michigan at home, a loss to 1-10 Purdue in Bloomington would certainly eliminate them from CFP consideration.
Week 14 Opponent: vs. No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers
Lastly, a program that beat Alabama earlier this year, it would likely help Alabama if Vanderbilt was able to the defeat the No. 8 ranked Tennessee Volunteers at home Saturday, with kickoff set for a 12 p.m. ET start on ABC. If the Commodores were to win, this would hand Tennessee what would be their third loss of the season, with the best win on the Volunteers resume over Alabama, with Florida likely the next biggest.
This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: CFP Outlook: 5 teams Alabama fans should be cheering for during Week 14
