Alabama Football: Playoff final four could be SEC and Big Ten only

Alabama Football has work to do to regain its suddenly tarnished elite status. In fairness, even while the Crimson Tide was undefeated, there was space for some doubt. Not even a talent pool as deep as the Tide roster can easily replace Bama’s 2020 exit of offensive stars.

The Georgia Bulldogs are undefeated halfway through the 2021 season and if CFB has an elite team this season, it is the Bulldogs.

Let’s consider the rest of college football to determine what teams other than Georgia are legitimate CFB Playoff contenders.

Going into week seven, there are still 13 undefeated FBS teams. The group includes four teams not in Playoff contention, even if they remain undefeated through conference championships. Those four teams are Coastal Carolina, SMU, San Diego State and UTSA.

Twelve teams are in legitimate contention for the CFB Playoff. Alabama Football and two other teams have a loss.

1. Georgia Bulldogs (6-0)– The Bulldogs have one ranked win over No. 17 Arkansas. Next opponent – No. 11 Kentucky
2. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-0) – The Hawkeyes have one a ranked win over No. 7 Penn State. Next opponent – Unranked Purdue
3. Cincinnati Bearcats (5-0) – The Bearcats have one ranked win over No. 14 Notre Dame. Next opponent – Unranked UCF
4. Oklahoma Sooners (6-0) – The Sooners have one ranked win over No. 25 Texas. Next opponent – Unranked TCU
5. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1) – The Crimson Tide has two wins over ranked teams, No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 20 Florida, plus a loss to No. 21 Texas A&M. Next opponent – Mississippi State
6. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1) – The Buckeyes slip into the sixth spot largely because of poll ranking. They have no wins over ranked teams and a loss to No. 9 Oregon. Next opponent – BYE
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1) – Penn State has no wins over ranked teams and a loss to No. 2 Iowa. Next opponent – BYE
8. Michigan Wolverines (6-0) – The Wolverines have no wins over ranked teams. Next opponent – BYE
9. Michigan State Spartans (6-0) – The Spartans have no wins over ranked teams. Next opponent – Unranked Indiana
10. Kentucky Wildcats (6-0) – The Wildcats have one win over No. 20 Florida. Next opponent – No. Georgia
11. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-0) – The Cowboys have no wins over ranked teams. Next opponent – No. 25 Texas
12. Wake Forest (6-0) – The Demon Deacons have beaten no ranked teams. Next opponent – BYE

The foundational standard of selecting Playoff teams has always been choosing the four best teams. As painful as it may be (as it was in 2017) the Selection Committee must do it again and that could mean putting the Tide and the Bulldogs in the field. If Alabama Football and the Georgia Bulldogs both finish 12-1, both must be included to achieve ‘four best’ -even if there are three or more other undefeated Power Five teams.

Yes, that means excluding a potentially undefeated Cincinnati team, whose primary win milestone would be a victory over Notre Dame. It would also exclude a potentially undefeated  Wake Forest team.

If the final four teams come from the SEC and the Big Ten, the Selection Committee will be thrashed. But if the selections are the four best teams, the committee should be lauded.