The Alabama Crimson Tide just tossed a chaos bomb into the College Football Playoff conversation. The SEC Championship game ended with the Crimson Tide on top, 27-24 over the No. 1-ranked and previously undefeated Georgia Bulldogs.
Now, the committee has one helluva a decision to make. The Michigan Wolverines and Florida State Seminoles still need to win their conference championships. The Washington Huskies are locked in. But, that fourth spot — at the very least — is pretty much open to interpretation.
What exactly is the committee's job? To pick the best team? To pick the most accomplished team? The battle between reputation, résumé, and good ol' fashioned personal preference has never been more pronounced.
One would imagine Alabama has leapfrogged UGA with their victory. The Crimson Tide faced the stronger strength of schedule during the regular season. Now, with the head-to-head matchup in hand and a conference championship on their ledger, it will be difficult to keep the Tide out... unless the Texas Longhorns, freshly minted as Big 12 champs, get in the way.
Texas ran roughshod over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 showdown, winning 49-21 over the No. 19 Cowboys. The Longhorns entered the game ranked No. 7 in the country, with only one loss to No. 12 Oklahoma.
So, the Longhorns were stationed ahead of Alabama to begin with and both have comparable résumés. Bama also has one loss to a ranked opponent and a conference title. The key point, of course, is that Alabama's one loss came at home, against Texas. The Longhorns won head-to-head, 34-24, back in September, announcing their presence as a national powerhouse.
By the general "rules" of determining résumé, Texas probably should get the nod over Alabama. But, that doesn't mean the committee will so quickly discard the SEC.
Should the College Football Playoff committee pick Texas over Alabama?
It's difficult to overstate the difficulty of posting a one-loss season in the cutthroat SEC. Bama is the first team to beat UGA in three years. The Bulldogs were more or less the No. 1 team all season, without debate. The Crimson Tide struggled early in the campaign, but a strong finish — during which Jalen Milroe transformed into one of college football's top quarterbacks — cannot be ignored.
That said, the basic tenets of the college football ranking system appear to favor Texas. There's no way around the head-to-head outcome. It will be difficult to justify keeping a healthy, one-loss, Big 12 champion out of the playoffs when their primary opponent lost head-to-head.
Perhaps more interesting to ponder is whether or not the committee opts for both Alabama and Texas, instead booting (potential ACC champion) Florida State and their injured QB room. There's a compelling argument there, even if the undefeated ACC champ should probably get rewarded.
If FSU loses, it becomes a much easier decision. UGA probably deserves consideration here, too, but there's no way the Bulldogs get in without a conference championship. The timing of their one loss in three years will be their downfall.
So, in the end, I'm siding with FanSided's Cody Williams' predictions here —
1. Michigan Wolverines (12-0)
2. Washington Huskies (13-0)
3. Florida State Seminoles (12-0)
4. Texas Longhorns (12-1)
5. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1)
6. Georgia Bulldogs (12-1)
Now, if FSU loses, it gets especially fascinating. If Michigan loses... that, too, would muddy the picture quite a bit.