Kalen DeBoer Lays Out Alabama’s Résumé Before SEC Championship

ATLANTA, Ga. - On Thursday, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer was asked about the Tide's chances of making the College Football Playoffs. Alabama's résumé speaks for itself, with two wins over currently ranked College Football Playoff teams (No. 3 Georgia, No. 14 Vanderbilt) and two more wins over teams ranked at the time of the game (No. 14 Missouri, No. 11 Tennessee). Alabama's two losses came to unranked Florida State in week one (the Seminoles were then ranked after beating the Crimson Tide) and No. 8 Oklahoma, which is a virtual lock to make the College Football Playoffs after being ranked No. 8 and not playing in the SEC Championship.

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"It kind of blows my mind. That's the exact words I used before, that we're really having this debate. I don't say that with any arrogance, 'cause I understand there's a lot of good football teams out there," DeBoer said during Thursday's press conference.

"But we earned getting to this point. We're 4-1 against ranked teams. Two points away from being 5-0 against ranked teams throughout the year. Every P4 team we played, except Wisconsin this season, before, during, or after us was ranked. Again 7-1 record, two points from being 8-0, 4-0 on the road in the second, that jumps out at me. That's hard to do in the environments. Our guys have been tested.

"Teams coming off byes. It doesn't matter. Our guys have been tested. We get to this point, we are playoff-ready. We are focused on this game. We have not had one conversation about that. But we want to take care of business this Saturday and enjoy, again, the opportunity that lies right in front of us to play in the SEC Championship."

A costly fumble by Ryan Williams (which led to a John Mateer 20-yard touchdown run) and a pick-six from Ty Simpson in a two-point loss to Oklahoma likely cost the Crimson Tide a guaranteed spot already in the College Football Playoffs, but Alabama can clinch an automatic bid with a victory in the SEC Championship over Georgia on Saturday.

"I think when it comes down to - let's just use last week's game, a rivalry game," DeBoer said. "Not all 5-7 teams are built the same. A team like Auburn, and let's go - I think we should be highlighting the games that we did win against the ranked teams. I already did that."

While Auburn does sit at 5-7 on the season, and won't play in a bowl game barring opt-outs of current bowl-eligible teams, five of the Tigers' six losses were one-score losses to teams either ranked inside the top 16 at the time of the game or ranked at the end of the season. Auburn lost by 10 points to then-No. 10 Georgia, and had one unexcusable loss to Kentucky (also by one score).

"Even last week's game, they were a team that had been - I think they had seven losses. All seven of those games in the SEC were within one score. I think six ended up being one score or less in all of their losses," DeBoer said.

"Again, when you talk about the SEC, what the grind is each and every week, it stacks upon itself. Just the toughness that it brings out in you and forces you to have. There's no league like it.

"I mean, it's just something that is fact. To be at the spot where we're at now, 7-1 in the league, 10-2 overall, just speaks to our football team, the quality of it. When I look at our football team, to really get into it, I see us as a balanced team. We have an offense and defense that play off each other. Our defense is a championship-caliber with any defense out there across the country. Our offense controls the football, takes care of business, comes up with big scores.

"Last week, again, we put up as many points as really almost anyone did. Again, using a rivalry game, using the last game we played. Running the football. People have hit us on that. Running the football, we've done that as good in the last two conference games that anyone else has that have played. I think in the top three in those opponents that have faced Oklahoma and Auburn.

"We can go on and on. I think you just really look at the league we're in, that we're in this game, and it is what it is. We're going to love the opportunity we get to play on Saturday."

Alabama will face Georgia in the SEC Championship on Saturday, December 6, at 4:00 p.m. ET. Our coverage of the SEC Championship is brought to you by Pearl River Resort and the Sportsbook at Golden Moon Casino.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.