I'm not arguing a) that they should be in or b) that they played a top rated schedule. The way their schedule unfolded didn't help them out with FSU being bad as well as several of their SEC opponents having down seasons.
However, I will say that the late season pud OOC game that is a regular event in the SEC shouldn't be even in the top 10 of talking points of why Alabama shouldn't be in.
It matters because, like houstoncat, said they, and the ACC, only play 8 conference games. The Big 12, Pac 12, and the Big 10, the conferences that have been left out of the CFP, have their best teams playing 10 damn conference games. Ohio State won 2 more conference games than Alabama did, but Mercer and Fresno State phew tough.
It's also worth noting that Alabama doesn't play non-con road game. They have only played two since 2003 and none since 2011, one of those road games was at Duke, and not new decent Duke either. They have no pending road non conference games in the future either.