"Brands matter. It's not a meritocracy": CFB Hall of Famer makes controversial remarks on Alabama potentially sneaking into the playoff

The Alabama Crimson Tide emerged victorious in their Iron Bowl game against the Auburn Tigers in Week 14. Unfortunately, they were eliminated from competing in the SEC championships in head coach Kalen DeBoer's debut campaign with the team. This led to fans worrying if the team could go on to secure a berth in the new 12-team playoffs.

The Alabama Crimson Tide finished the regular season with a 9-3 (5-3 SEC campaign) record. In Week 14, the college football playoff rankings, the Crimson Tide was ranked 11th ahead of the Miami Hurricanes, ranked No. 12.

If the rankings do not change ahead of this weekend's conference championship games, then DeBoer's team will receive the final at-large bid in the playoffs ahead of Miami. College Football Hall of Famer Aaron Taylor spoke about Alabama's sneaky rise to No.11, stating that the power of branding is a factor in them getting a potential shot to compete for the national championship.

"Brands matter," Taylor said. "And this isn't about a meritocracy. It's a brand-itocracy. The one consistency that the committee had played to date, was the loss call. It ordered them to rank and file rght in a row. And if the teams were close, the team that won got... To move Alabama there, it locks them in. It's good to be the king. They've earned it. But it's not based on what's taken place on the field."

"It's not equal," Taylor continued. "It's never designed to be equal. These teams don't earn their positions. They are placed. The whole deal here is to get the most eyeballs and to make the most amount of money possible."

The Crimson Tide lost to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma this season. The game against the Sooners was truly devastating as DeBoer's team failed to score a single touchdown, leading to them succumbing to a 24-3 final score. However, they still have a glimmer of hope of ending the season with some success if things work out in their favor.

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Miami AD shares frustration after Alabama's college football playoffs ranking reveal

Miami Hurricanes AD Dan Radakovich was disappointed with the fact that his team was placed behind the Crimson Tide. He took to social media to share his anger about the selection committee's decision and questioned the factors that the committee took into consideration before finalizing this decision.

"Really??... what put Bama over the top of Miamia for the last spot in is that Miami went 1-2 in their last 3 games (by an average of 4.5 pts, to a ranked Syracuse and GT team that just took UGA to 8OT). Bama went 2-1 (to 5-7 Auburn, destroyed by OU, and beat FCS Mercer)"

In the last three games of the regular season, the Hurricanes could only win against Wake Forest. They lost to Georgia Tech and Syracuse, which eliminated them from competing in the ACC title game despite a strong start to the season.

Miami's only hope of competing in the 12-team playoffs this season is if some chaos takes place in the championship games. This could potentially help them beat Alabama but is a position that is highly dependent on luck.