Clay Travis And Will Cain Talk Alabama Missing Out On College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff field is set, but now it's time to dissect the teams that didn't make the cut. OutKick founder Clay Travis joined Fox News' Will Cain on The Will Cain Podcast to do just that, specifically when it comes to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Travis and Cain agreed that the selection committee got it right this time around with Georiga, Michigan, TCU, and Ohio State.

They also agreed that Alabama deserved to miss out for only the second time in College Football Playoff History.

Alabama was the first team out coming in at No. 5, behind Ohio State, but ahead of fellow SEC school Tennessee.

Travis talked about how at a certain point, you have to find a balance between teams that deserve to make the cut and teams that are "the best."

"I think Alabama is the 'best," he said. "They have the most talent of any of the other teams that could be included in the Playoff. But they lost against the two best teams that they played."

Alabama's two losses were against LSU and Tennessee. The Crimson Tide went into both games as the favorite. (Getty Images)

The Case Against Alabama

The Crimson Tide's two losses came courtesy of Tennesse and LSU, something Travis said hurts their case, in addition to several other lackluster performances against Texas, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss.

"(Alabama's) best win of the year is probably at Texas," Travis said, alluding to the team's skin-of-their-teeth win over the Longhorns in September.

"Compare that with Ohio State, compare that with TCU, frankly compare that — in my opinion — with Tennessee," he continued.

"If you just want 'best,' the logical extension of that is don't even pay attention to what happens on the field, whatever Vegas says is the best teams you just take those four, then the regular season doesn't matter at all."

Will Cain pushed back.

"Clay, that's why I hate the 'best' argument," Cain said. "It turns it into ice dancing. It doesn't matter what happens on the field, so why play the game?"

Cain went on to point out how Alabama's signature win on the year was over the then No. 21 Longhorns. Meanwhile, TCU has five wins against top 25 teams to their credit.

"I don't understand the argument whatsoever," Cain continued. "Just because Vegas would say that Alabama is favored we should put them in? It doesn't make any sense."

While both agreed Alabama got what they deserved, it wouldn't have taken very much for things to be different.

"If Alabama split Tennessee and LSU, and even if they had then gone to the SEC championship and lost to Georiga, I think they would be in over Ohio State," Travis said. "Because I would say then the SEC is a higher caliber of play and you can't hold Alabama accountable for losing in the championship game."

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