Alabama pretty much has to go undefeated if the Crimson Tide wants to get back to the College Football Playoff. That's at least the way USA Today columnist Dan Wolken sees it.
He does make a good point about not having enough good wins. Their best wins currently are LSU and Mississippi State and you can certainly poke holes in an argument for them being good at all. LSU lost at home to a Sun Belt team while the Bulldogs played a bad out of conference schedule and barely handled a mediocre Arkansas team this past Saturday.
So while the Iron Bowl usually holds special meaning because it's a rivalry game, it could also be the difference between getting into the College Football Playoff or not. Should Auburn win the game, the Tigers head to the SEC Championship and would play a Georgia team they've already beaten handily this season. So if they win that game, it's going to be hard to put Alabama in over them or even with them considering Oklahoma and Clemson or Miami (depending on the winner of the ACC Championship Game) are looking like locks to get in.
