Alabama's Playoff Chances: How likely is Kalen DaBoer's Crimson Tide to make 12-team CFP?

Kalen DeBoer joined the Alabama Crimson Tide ahead of the 2024 college football season to replace the legendary Nick Saban. So far, DeBoer has done a great job of keeping the Crimson Tide in the expanded college football playoffs picture.

Alabama is fresh off a statement win against the LSU Tigers. The game was never close, and the Tide reminded the rest of college football of their dominance in Week 11.

Ahead of the Week 12 slate of games, here's a closer look at Alabama's playoff chances in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Alabama's Playoff Chances

Crimson Tide's Resume

Alabama sits at 7-2 overall and 4-2 in SEC play. The Crimson Tide's two losses came against the Vanderbilt Commodores and Tennessee Volunteers.

Both defeats came against SEC teams, with the Commodores being unranked while the Volunteers had a spot in the AP Poll.

SEC in the Playoffs

Many consider the SEC the toughest conference in college football. The numbers don't lie: The conference has a staggering nine teams in the selection committee's top 25 heading into Week 12.

Currently, there are five SEC teams in the top 12: Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss and Georgia. However, if the playoffs were to begin today, Georgia wouldn't make it as it would need to make way for the fifth highest-rated conference leader, the No. 13 Boise State.

Hence, the SEC is virtually guaranteed four spots in the expanded playoffs. The Crimson Tide holds the third spot, and barring any setbacks, they should be competing for a national championship at the end of the regular season.

Crimson Tide's path

Kalen DeBoer's team has three more games in the 2024 regular season, against Mercer, Oklahoma and Auburn.

If they avoid losing in all three games, they're shoo-ins to enter the 2024 playoffs. Statement wins this season over Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri and most recently LSU got the Crimson Tide to this spot. Their playoff hopes are solely in their own hands. Three wins from their remaining games should be enough to get them into the playoffs; however, a single slip-up could let another team that's currently on the outside looking in creep into the expanded playoffs for this season.

Do you think Kalen DeBoar's Alabama Crimson Tide will make the College Football Playoff this season? Could they go all the way and win a national championship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.