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The College Football Playoff is quickly approaching as we continue to near the end of the regular season. The initial CFP rankings have already made their debut, but there’s still time for those standings to change.
At the moment, Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, and Florida State hold the top four slots, but those likely won’t be the last four standing when the year closes.
For starters, the Wolverines and Buckeyes face off in the final week of the season, possibly making the rivalry an elimination game in late November.
But there are a few other potential blockbuster matchups to come, and they’ll have a major impact on the national championship race.
Some of the college football media is now debating a never-before-seen scenario in 2023. Could the SEC get left out of the College Football Playoff?
Here’s the scenario:
- Alabama wins out, beating Georgia in the SEC title game.
- Texas wins out, finishing 12-1 as Big XII champs.
- Undefeated Big 10 champ (either Ohio State or Michigan)
- Undefeated PAC-12 champ Washington
- Undefeated ACC champ Florida State
Should this be the case, the three undefeated teams would seemingly be a shoe-in. That would leave a decision for the fourth and final spot. Given Texas’s head-to-head win over Alabama earlier this year, the Longhorns could get the nod, even if the Crimson Tide boast a better resume.
Who would get the 4th hypothetical playoff spot:
B12 winner, 1 loss Texas?
SEC winner, 1 loss Alabama?@BarstoolAlabama @UTBarstool pic.twitter.com/WrN8dqvCS4— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) November 7, 2023
“I think the SEC is out of the playoff for the first time ever [in this scenario],” said Jack McGuire of Unnecessary Roughness.
Of course, there’s certainly an argument to be made should Alabama not only finish the regular season with an 11-1 overall record, but also beat undefeated Georgia in the SECCG.
“I don’t think so,” rebutted co-host Brandon Walker. “Alabama, if they were to run this table… they would’ve beaten LSU. They would’ve beaten Ole Miss. Then they would’ve snapped the 30-game winning streak of Georgia. They would then have the best win in the entire country. If Alabama wins out, they are in the playoff, and I don’t care who they’ve got to kick out to put ’em in.”
It’s certainly an interesting debate.
Could the committee boot a Texas team that beat Alabama on the field? That might depend on whether it values head-to-head results over resume, a decision it still hasn’t made its mind up on to this point.
As is the case with most of these pre-playoff arguments, though, we’ll have to see everything plays out on the field. Chances are that the selection process will work itself out over time.
Still, it’s fun to debate.