Who will represent the SEC in the playoff

[thekimmer]

If the top 4 wins their respective conference championship games obviously the field is set. But if auburn loses who takes the spot? Does UGA leapfrog #5 bama or does bama slide into the slot?

I think the winner of the SECCG will go. Bama will also get a spot if TCU beats OU. If Miami or OSU wins they slide into the top 4.

Other thoughts?

 

[DawgatAuburn]

SEC winner is in
ACC winner is in
If Wisconsin and Oklahoma win, they are in.
If either of them lose, Bama is in.
If both of them lose, Bama and Ohio State are in.

Simple as that.

 

[patdog]

I think you nailed it. Only possible change is the committee might take a 2-loss Ohio St. Big 10 champion over Bama, but I don't think so. Crazy. I think if Wisconsin doesn't win out, Bama's got a decent argument they're the best team in the country, but they're probably locked out of the playoffs.

 

[tatedog]

Bama needs Auburn, TCU, Ohio State and Miami to win. If all those happen, don't see how they get left out, but I do think they need all four. I'm just not convinced the committee is going to overlook Bama's overall strength of schedule and the way they floundered in the last two conference games. Getting a 2nd conference school in has proven impossible so far, even for teams with stronger resumes than Bama has this year.

 

[patdog]

Auburn and Miami are irrelevant. TCU and/or Ohio St. are the key. Bama is the clear 1st alternate if 1 or both of those 2 win.

 

[tatedog]

Auburn winning improves Bama's SOS since they played Auburn, but not UGA. The committee will have to go against everything it's done in the past to include a one loss conference non-champion over a one loss champion (potentially Miami), but really that's still just one spot either way I guess. Bama would have a better argument to get in over Miami who has a similar SOS to Bama, but absolutely no argument to get in over Clemson in that same scenario.

Another point to consider is that in the past the committee has never "backed" a team into the playoff. Any team that didn't appear in the penultimate rankings and did appear in the final ranking won its way in there. Bama can't do that.

 

[thekimmer]

If wiskey loses OSU will leapfrog bama. The only scenario I see for bama to get in is an OU loss.

 

[Shmuley]

They put OSU at 8. Don’t see them leapfrogging.

 

[VegasDawg13]

Auburn winning improves Bama's SOS since they played Auburn, but not UGA. The committee will have to go against everything it's done in the past to include a one loss conference non-champion over a one loss champion (potentially Miami), but really that's still just one spot either way I guess. Bama would have a better argument to get in over Miami who has a similar SOS to Bama, but absolutely no argument to get in over Clemson in that same scenario.

I agree with you that 2-loss Clemson would be over 1-loss Bama. I disagree that it matters who wins the SECCG. The winner will 100% be in. The loser will 100% not be in. I think the committee is smart enough to know this past weekend was an extremely tough game for Bama regardless of whether or not Georgia beats Auburn for a second time.

 

[tatedog]

No doubt about the SEC title game affecting only those two teams directly, but the ripple effects on SOS for others could matter if things go haywire and the committee has to nit pick resumes. In order for Bama to get in, the committee will have to break at least two precedents from the past unless everything falls perfectly for Bama, the biggest being including two teams from the same conference. They have resisted this by any means necessary in the past (I really think when they say conference championships matter, that is code for max one team per conference).