Ex-No. 1 Alabama plays waiting game after losing to Auburn
Ringgold
to play and Kaylee Womack would give Ringgold the lead for good on a runner with 44 seconds remaining.
Ridgeland saw a potential go-ahead 3-pointer rim out on its next possession and the Lady Panthers were forced to foul. Cole made 1-of-2 at the line, giving the Lady Panthers one final chance to tie the game. However, another 3-point attempt would come up short and Faith Bryson would grab the rebound to secure the victory.
Womack had eight of her 12 points in the fourth quarter and added five assists. Akers also scored 12 points, while Cole had nine, including connecting on 7-of-10 free throws, while adding nine boards.
Brylee Dunn had a dozen points, 15 boards and six blocks for Ridgeland, followed by Sandridge with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Ervin added nine points.
Ringgold 54, Notre Dame 36
The Lady Tigers led 34-31 after three quarters this past Wednesday, but turned it on in the fourth quarter to race past the Lady Irish.
Akers had 10 points and seven boards as the Lady Tigers put together a balanced scoring effort.
Riley Nayadley had nine points, followed by Lauren Terrell and Maggie Reed with seven each. Sydney Pittman finished with six points, four steals and four assists, while Womack added five points.
Murray County 58, Ridgeland 50
The Lady Panthers got 18 points, 17 points and eight blocks from Dunn and 11 points and seven rebounds from Hailey Bryant, but the visiting Lady Indians used an advantage at the free throw line to pull out the win in the Ridgeland Thanksgiving Tournament opener on Wednesday.
Fran King added eight points for Ridgeland.
Ringgold was slated to host Northwest Whitfield in a nonregion tilt on Tuesday, while Ridgeland will open their region schedule that same night at home against Gilmer.
Alabama’s body of work is complete.
All that’s left is the waiting game.
The powerhouse program, which had been ranked No. 1 all season by The Associated Press, ceded control of its playoff destiny with its first loss of the season.
A 26-14 setback to bitter rival Auburn dropped the Tide to fifth in Sunday’s AP poll, and will likely bump coach Nick Saban’s team out of the top four when the College Football Playoff releases its new standings on Tuesday.
The only rankings that really matter come out next weekend, after a final round of conference championship games that won’t include the Crimson Tide.
Alabama (11-1) is stuck on the sideline.
“We are a one-loss team and we lost to a really good team,” defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick said, beginning the lobbying effort. “We deserve a chance to be in the playoffs.”
Unfortunately for the Tide, that single loss knocked them out of the Southeastern Conference title game, which will pit No. 4 Auburn (10-2) against No. 6 Georgia (11-1). The winner is certain to land a spot in the playoff.
Ditto for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship between No. 1 Clemson (11-1) and No. 7 Miami (10-1). While the Hurricanes were stunned by Pittsburgh (5-7) over the Thanksgiving weekend , bouncing back with a victory over the defending national champions would surely be enough to boost Mark Richt’s team into a playoff berth.
There are spots where Alabama could sneak in while spending next weekend as a spectator.
No. 2 Oklahoma (111) will face No. 10 TCU (10-2) in the Big 12 title game, knowing a victory will lock up a playoff spot. If the Horned Frogs come out on top, it probably clears the way for Alabama to make the final four.
There’s also the Big Ten championship between No. 3 Wisconsin (12-0) and No. 8 Ohio State (102). If the Badgers stay undefeated, they’re playoff bound. If the Buckeyes win, things get very, very interesting.
Making their case
Would the playoff committee go with an Alabama team that didn’t even win the SEC West and lacks a signature victory? Or
would the members chose an Ohio State team that has two double-digit losses, including a 31-point blowout to Iowa (7-5) at the beginning of November ?
Unfairly or not, Alabama’s resume is hurt by its schedule.
The Tide opened against then-No. 3 Florida State in Atlanta, romping to a seemingly impressive 24-7 victory . But after losing starting quarterback Deondre Francois to a season-ending knee injury in that game, the Seminoles plummeted to a 5-6 record, so that Week 1 triumph no longer adds any luster to Alabama’s credentials.
Two wins came against teams currently ranked in the Top 25, a 24-10 victory over No. 17 LSU and a 31-24 squeaker against No. 24 Mississippi State.
Ohio State also has two Top 25 wins but
they’re more impressive — 39-38 against No. 9 Penn State and a 48-3 rout of No. 19 Michigan State — with a chance for another against Wisconsin. But that ugly performance at Iowa is a real blemish, not to mention a 31-16 home loss to Oklahoma . It might be too much to overcome.
For what it’s worth, Clemson has the worst loss of any of the contenders, a 27-24 shocker to Syracuse (4-8) . But that is more than offset by wins over Auburn , No. 22 Virginia Tech and 8-4 teams South Carolina, North Carolina State and Louisville.
Alabama’s favorites
In addition to rooting for Ohio State and TCU, Alabama may want to cheer on its biggest rival.
An Auburn victory in the SEC championship game would probably help the Tide’s case, since it would show the Tigers are playing as well as anyone in the country at the moment — maybe good enough
to be a No. 1 seed. Alabama could make a pretty strong case if it’s only loss came on the road against a team of Auburn’s caliber.
No matter what, Saban will have to rely on others to get a shot at his fifth national title in 11 years at Alabama. His team is the only one to make the College Football Playoff every season since it was launched in 2014.
Saban, who probably craves being in control more than any college coach, is no longer in control.
“I think this team deserves the opportunity to get into the playoff by what they have been able to accomplish and what they have been able to do,” Saban said. “We have won 11 games, and not many teams have been able to do that. I really don’t know what all the scenarios might be where we would have an opportunity to (make the playoff). I certainly would like to see this team get the opportunity to do it.”