Is Georgia’s run at No. 1 officially over?
It appears that way. No. 8 Alabama beat No. 1 Georgia 27-24 in the SEC championship game on Saturday. That snapped the Bulldogs’ 29-game win streak, and now the two-time defending national champions face an uneasy fate heading into the final College Football Playoff rankings.
Jalen Milroe led a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown – one that will put him in the last-minute Heisman Trophy conversation – to give the Crimson Tide a 10-point lead. It was a remarkable turnaround for Alabama after a 34-24 loss to Texas on Sept. 9.
More about that in a minute. Here is how Alabama’s victory impacts the College Football Playoff picture and more:
Will Alabama make the College Football Playoff after beating Georgia?
Nick Saban won his ninth SEC championship at Alabama – and 11th overall – with another underdog performance against the Bulldogs in the SEC championship game.
Alabama built a 17-7 halftime lead and took advantage of a Georgia fumble in the third quarter to extend that lead to 20-7 heading into the fourth quarter. Carson Beck scored on a 1-yard TD run with 10:16 remaining to cut the lead to six, but Milroe answered with the closing drive. Milroe – who finished 13 of 23 for 192 yards and two TDs – might emerge as a last-minute Heisman Trophy finalist as a result.
Now, will Alabama make the College Football Playoff for the eight time in 10 years? That is where there is serous intrigue.
Will Georgia miss the College Football Playoff?
Let’s size up the College Football Playoff pictured based on the results so far. No. 3 Washington beat No. 5 Oregon 34-31 on Friday in the Pac-12 championship, and No. 7 Texas beat No. 19 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship. No. 6 Ohio State did not play, and that leaves two conference championship games left
ACC championship: No. 4 Florida State (12-0) vs. No. 15 Louisville (10-2) Big Ten championship: No. 2 Michigan (12-0) vs. No. 16 Iowa (10-2)
Ohio State and Oregon are likely out, and here is what the board looks like ahead of those rankings:
RANK SCHOOL RECORD 1 Michigan 12-0 2 Washington 13-0 3 Florida State 12-0 4 Texas 11-1 5 Alabama 12-1 6 Georgia 12-1
Alabama and Georgia are No. 5 and No. 6 with two games to go. Why is that?
Will Alabama, Georgia both miss the College Football Playoff?
Texas has a head-to-head victory against Alabama. Will the CFP committee really bump the Longhorns down based on the Crimson Tide’s victory in the SEC championship?
The most stunning development is that unless Florida State and Michigan both lose, then Georgia is likely out of the College Football Playoff. Alabama will jump the Bulldogs in the rankings.
What about Alabama? Would the committee contrive an argument to put the Crimson Tide ahead of the Longhorns? Alabama has beaten four ranked teams since the loss to Texas, and that might just be enough for a controversial final decision that puts the Crimson Tide in the No. 4 spot.
Will they bump Florida State – which lost quarterback Jordan Travis to a fractured ankle on Nov. 18? That is an interesting argument, too, but would the committee really bump out an unbeaten Power 5 champion?
Michigan also must win to get in for the Big Ten to have a team in the College Football Playoff. If the Wolverines lose to Iowa, then that would give the committee the easy decision to put the Crimson Tide and Longhorns in the CFP.
Saban will politick that this is the best team from the best conference – the one that has not missed the playoff in each of the last nine seasons.
Get ready for some real heat – especially if the Seminoles and Wolverines win on Saturday night.
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