Alabama’s College Football Playoff hopes are facing a subtle but serious threat: a struggling run game. While the Tide boasts one of the nation’s most explosive passing attacks, its inability to run the ball consistently has caught the CFP committee’s eye.
A lopsided loss to Florida State exposed the issue, and CFP chair Hunter Yurachek has confirmed that how a team loses and how it performs in key areas, such as the ground game, matters just as much as wins and losses. For Alabama, this imbalance could prove costly in the pursuit of a national title.
Crimson Tide’s Run Game Issues Raise CFP Concerns
Alabama’s drop in the College Football Playoff rankings has sparked debate, but comments from CFP chair Hunter Yurachek help explain the logic behind it. Yurachek highlighted the importance of how teams lose, not just their win-loss record:
“You look at the losses of Notre Dame versus the losses of Alabama, and that was really one of the defining metrics that we used. The lopsided Florida State-Alabama game stood out, particularly Alabama’s continued struggles to run the football effectively.”
This is a refreshing perspective from the committee, showing that they are analyzing the nuances of each game rather than relying solely on results. And they have a point: Alabama’s rushing attack has been abysmal. According to PFSN metrics, Alabama ranks 110th in rush attempts and 124th in rushing yards, a stark contrast to its explosive passing game.
Quarterback Ty Simpson, a Heisman hopeful, and his dynamic receiving duo, Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams, have carried the offense, ranking 15th in passing yards and 4th in passing touchdowns nationally. Yet, without a reliable run game, the Tide’s offense lacks balance, a crucial factor in sustaining dominance against top-tier opponents.
“Really, where you break these teams down in the comparison, Notre Dame and Alabama. Notre Dame has losses to two teams that are within the top 13. A three-point loss against Miami to start the season and a one-point loss vs. Texas A&M,” Yurochek said.
“Alabama obviously has a two-point loss last week to Oklahoma, but they have that loss at the beginning of the season, 31-17, at Florida State, a team that’s now 5-5. Florida State was up in that game 24-7, and they held Alabama to less than 100 yards rushing in that game. Really, that was a sign of some of the struggles Alabama was going to have rushing the ball.”
An offense built almost entirely on the pass is inherently vulnerable. When the “fastball” isn’t firing on all cylinders, matchups like the Florida State game become cautionary tales. A strong run game provides control, dominating the line of scrimmage, limiting turnovers, and managing time of possession when things aren’t going perfectly.
While Alabama has rebounded impressively since that loss, the CFP committee has clearly taken note of these ongoing vulnerabilities.
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With important games still ahead, the question remains: can Alabama’s pass-heavy offense consistently carry them against the nation’s best, or will their running game deficiencies keep them from truly contending for a championship?
