"Are they really a playoff team?": Paul Finebaum questions Alabama's playoff credentials following poor display against Oklahoma

Following the emphatic win against LSU in Week 12, Paul Finebaum had some confidence in Alabama (8-3,4-3 SEC). He opined that the remaining two conference games for the Crimson Tide against Oklahoma (6-5, 2-5 SEC) and Auburn (5-6, 2-5) SEC would be a walk in the park.

However, the Crimson Tide fell to a shocking 24-3 loss to the Sooners in Norman on Saturday night, which did a lot of damage to their playoff bid. While there’s still a slim chance of the Crimson Tide securing a playoff spot, Finebaum questioned their credentials. The analyst isn’t convinced that they deserve a spot.

“I know they have a win against possibly the SEC champion, but please,” Paul Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show on Sunday.

“If they get in, good for them. I’ll be happy, and everybody will sing Kumbaya. But are they really a playoff team after what we saw on Saturday night? That was just hard to wrap my arms around.

“In the middle of the night, I’m getting texts from old-time Alabama fans who were going, ‘What have we gotten ourselves into?’ Because this is the same Alabama team in many ways — actually, it’s not — it’s a worse Alabama team what we saw against Vanderbilt. I mean, this team was completely clueless.”

Alabama is expected to rank outside the top 12 in the next College Football Playoff ranking following its loss to Oklahoma. Kalen DeBoer and Co. will need a couple of things to play in their favor in the final round of the regular season to secure a playoff spot.

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Paul Finebaum doesn't see Alabama as a legitimate playoff contender despite projection

On Sunday, Heather Dinch projects that Alabama still has a chance to make the playoff despite its loss to Oklahoma. While Paul Finebaum didn't negate the forecast, the analyst doesn't see the Tide as a legitimate contender following their display in Norman.

“That loss was a body blow,” Paul Finebaum said. “I know what my good friend Heather Dinich is saying, that there is a path for Alabama. And maybe there will be, but the real question is why? I don’t understand how Alabama can be considered a legitimate playoff team.

“I realize that there are probably schools in there that aren’t legitimate either. But, I mean, they’ve lost to Vanderbilt, a five-loss team, and now Oklahoma, [another] five-loss team. If you were looking at a chart of the SEC, [Oklahoma is] probably 12 or 13 out of the 16 in the league, and the other loss is at Tennessee.”

In a surprising twist on Saturday night, Oklahoma looked more like a playoff contender than the heavily favored Alabama in Norman. The Sooners outclassed the Crimson Tide on both sides of the ball, delivering a performance that caught national attention.

Alabama struggled mightily against Oklahoma’s defense in the defeat, managing just 234 yards of total offense. The Crimson Tide's woes were compounded by three costly turnovers, including a critical pick-six in the third quarter that further tipped the scales in favor of the Sooners.