Alabama Stays Behind 8 Ball In CFP Rankings, So Prepare For Possibly The Most Meaningless SEC Title Game Ever | Glenn Guilbeau

On Dec. 5, 1992, the Southeastern Conference, the Sugar Bowl and the college football world that wanted a true national championship game between No. 1 and 2 prayed like hell that Alabama would win.

And No. 2 Alabama squeaked by unranked, 8-3 Florida, 28-21, in Birmingham on a game-winning, pick-six by Antonio Langham in the final moments of the first Southeastern Conference Championship Game ever played. Whew! Chaos cravers lost. No. 2 Alabama then beat No. 1 Miami in a Game of the Century Sugar Bowl for the national title.

On Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, the SEC, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, and the college football world that want a kinder and gentler final four-team College Football Playoff world will be praying like hell for Alabama to lose. The No. 8 Crimson Tide (11-1) plays No. 1 Georgia (12-0) at 4 p.m. on CBS in Atlanta in the 32nd SEC Championship Game.

For if Alabama upsets 4.5-point favorite and back-to-back national champion Georgia, all hell will break loose. So the chaos cravers will be pulling for Alabama and against all the other undefeated teams.

Crimson Tide Has Long Way To Go Even With Georgia Win

Alabama stayed at No. 8 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night. And it is lucky it didn't drop after an extremely fortunate 27-24 win Saturday over an Auburn team that finished 6-6 and lost 31-10 a week ago to New Mexico State.

And there is a chance that even if the Tide beats Georgia Saturday, it will not leap four spots to make the final four-team CFP playoff. The playoff goes to 12 teams in 2024, thank God. Maybe, the football gods have been saving Armageddon chaos for last. Because there is a chance Georgia at 12-1 and 29-1 after a loss to Bama might not make the playoff either.

This is because of a rash of teams still undefeated. Florida State (12-0), for example, strangely moved up to No. 4 from No. 5 after struggling to beat a Florida team that is now 5-7 by a 24-15 score behind backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker. He started for the first time for injured starter Jordan Travis, who is out for the year with a broken leg. Rodemaker completed just 12 of 25 passes for 134 yards and no touchdowns. Florida State is not the same without Travis, yet it moved up a spot.

Alabama May Not Be Able To Move Past Undefeated Teams

"I find it hard to imagine if Florida State wins Saturday, even without Jordan Travis, that Texas or Alabama would go by Florida State," ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit said after the rankings announcement. "If you're a Florida State fan, you should be very excited."

And lucky.

It would follow, logically, that Florida State just needs to beat No. 10 Louisville (10-2) in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game on Saturday (8:15 p.m., ABC) to stay at No. 4 and reach the playoff.

"I still think they need to look good," ESPN's Rece Davis said.

But he said that last week. And the Seminoles did not "look good" against an average team on Saturday. Lowly Florida actually led Florida State, 15-14, midway in the fourth quarter.

Or is the committee just throwing Florida State a bone this week before it drops the hammer next week if it doesn't look great with Rodemaker looking much better against Louisville? You can bet some on the committee are hoping Louisville wins.

Could Crimson Tide Stay Home After Beating Georgia?

Alabama is an upset from winning the SEC championship, and every SEC champion has made the College Football Playoff since it began in the 2014 season. And twice, another SEC team went along for the ride. In 2017, Alabama went with SEC champion Georgia after Alabama did not make the SEC title game. And Georgia went in 2021 after losing the SEC title game to Alabama.

The Tide could remain behind the 8 ball despite a win over Georgia, said ESPN's Booger McFarland.

"Even if Alabama wins the SEC championship, they need some help," he said. "It's a long way to the top four from No. 8."

What would Alabama coach Nick Saban do? Would he self combust? He didn't even make the SEC title game last season and complained about not making the top four with two losses until last summer. How mad will he get if he is left out with one loss and the best win (over Georgia)?

"If Alabama beats Georgia, you guys work that out," Herbstreit said in reference to the committee.

What would block Alabama out and conceivably Georgia is a rare, large number of undefeated teams. Should Alabama and Georgia each finish with one loss, there is a chance there will still be three undefeated teams - No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Washington and No. 4 Florida State in the top eight. So, the fourth spot would be one of four one-loss teams among the current CFP rankings - No. 8 Alabama, No. 7 Texas, No. 6 Ohio State, and No. 1 Georgia.

Georgia Bulldogs No. 1 in CFP Rankings For Now

After Georgia remained No. 1 on Tuesday at 12-0, Michigan moved up a notch and checked in at No. 2 at 12-0 after knocking off previously No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday. Washington (12-0) rose a spot to No. 3 after holding off rival Washington State. Florida State is at No. 4 at 12-0 as previously mentioned.

Oregon (11-1) jumped up one spot to No. 5 and remained the highest ranked one-loss team, because it has the best loss of the top teams at the moment. That is to Washington by 36-33 at Washington back on Oct. 14. Yes, Ohio State's loss was to a higher ranked Michigan by 30-24 also on the road, but that loss is more recent, and thus more damaging, historically speaking.

And Oregon has a chance to erase that loss to Washington as it plays Washington again Friday in the Pac-12 title game in Las Vegas (8 p.m., ABC). So one of those will be out.

Ohio State (11-1) is probably out at No. 6 because it just lost, barring some type of miracle, and because it has no more games before the final CFP rankings on Dec. 3 going into the playoffs.

College Football Playoff Selection Committee Has Difficult Job

That brings us to Texas (11-1) at No. 7. Texas' chip is its 34-24 win over Alabama at Alabama on Sept. 9. Not even the smartest Alabama fan can argue out of that. The Tide's only plea is how long ago it was. Texas does have an ugly loss, though, to No. 12 Oklahoma, 34-30, on Oct. 7. The Sooners have two losses - 38-33 to unranked Kansas and 27-24 to No. 18 Oklahoma State. So, Texas inherits those losses, and since Texas beat Alabama, Alabama inherits those losses.

Yes, we're splitting hairs and going down the loss rabbit hole. But you have to. And it may not look good for Alabama, even if it beats Georgia. And that is amazing. Because the committee would be considering sending home a one-loss Alabama team that just picked up the best win of anyone all season. Alabama will have beaten 29-0 Georgia in Atlanta.

How do you sit Alabama down after that? And if Texas beats Oklahoma State (9-3) in the Big 12 title game on Saturday in Arlington, Texas (Noon, ABC), how do you send Texas home at 12-1 with a win over Alabama and send Alabama?

Committee Chairman Boo Corrigan Spinning

And how would you send Georgia to the playoff after it just lost to Alabama with both of those having one loss, but Georgia's loss happening less than 24 hours ago? Or, how could the committee sit both SEC teams? Surely, there would be protests, demonstrations, fires.

And remember this. If Alabama beats Georgia and doesn't go to the playoff, then the 2023 SEC Championship Game would have been as meaningless as an Independence Bowl. Or as meaningless as last year's SEC title game. Remember, Georgia beat LSU. But had LSU won, it would not have reached the playoff with three losses. And had Georgia lost, it would have remained in the playoff with one loss. If Alabama beats Georgia Saturday, and neither go to the playoff, then the SEC Championship Game was a spring scrimmage.

Somebody or two or three are going to be mad, and somebody or two or three are going to deserve to be mad.

Can an emergency session of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee vote for a six-team playoff by Saturday? That may be the only sane solution.

If not, send committee chairman Boo Corrigan to Tuscaloosa to tell Nick Saban in person that his SEC championship team didn't make it.

And put that on national television.