Alabama football's latest road win against LSU brings the Crimson Tide right back into the College Football Playoff race.
After losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee put the Crimson Tide's back against the wall, Alabama 's 42-13 win against LSU brought back conversations of hosting a first-round CFP game, and even a first-round CFP bye .
Will the Crimson Tide make the CFP? And how far will Alabama go?
Here are the latest projections.
Note: Seedings are based on this week's US LBM Coaches Poll and rules of the College Football Playoff format
No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Boise State to face No. 4 Miami
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Georgia to face No. 3 BYU
No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 10 Alabama to face No. 2 Texas
Alabama is projected for its first trip to State College, Pennsylvania, since 2011 to face a Penn State team which lost to likely CFP-bound Ohio State by a touchdown. But it's a Nittany Lions team that has not been challenged with no wins against teams currently in the US LBM Coaches Poll, giving the battle-tested Crimson Tide a likely advantage.
With a win, Alabama's assignment would get tougher against No. 2 Texas, a potential opponent for the Crimson Tide in the SEC championship game. And while Tennessee or Georgia could be a potential CFP semifinal opponent for Alabama, Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns ' high-octane pass offense could prove to be too much for the Crimson Tide.
ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Tennessee (Loss)
ESPN (Mark Schlabach): No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Tennessee; CFP Quarterfinal at Rose Bowl vs. No. 1 Oregon (Loss)
CBS Sports : No. 3 Alabama vs No. 6 Georgia/No. 11 Indiana in CFP Quarterfinal at Peach Bowl
247Sports : No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Notre Dams to face No, 1 Oregon
Sports Illustrated : No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Notre Dams to face No, 1 Oregon
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: CFP bracket predictions: How far would Alabama football go?
