So, that happened. “That” being a Saturday where we say teams ranked 2, 3, and 4 go down in the same evening, including two at home.
Clemson was stunned on a last-second field goal by Pitt in Death Valley. Michigan got the same ending treatment in Iowa City. And Washington was mostly overwhelmed by Southern Cal from the jump.
The biggest winner of it all? Maybe Penn State, who has an inside track to the Big Ten title game now. But probably Alabama.
The Crimson Tide have become an afterthought because they’re just so good anymore, the latest installment of this evidence being the evisceration of Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon before everyone else would throw flies in the CFB Playoff ointment.
They won 51-3. The only thing that stands between them and an unbeaten season is a blistering over sacrificial FCS lamb Chattanooga and a home Iron Bowl win over Auburn.
Either way, they’re going to the SEC title game against what’s sure to be a heavy underdog from the exceedingly mediocre SEC East.
And with the aforementioned three losses, the Tide reasonably have a full two-game lead on college football. They won’t lose to Chattanooga, so let’s not even bother discussing the prospect.
Let’s say Auburn wins, which is significantly something less than likely and slightly above nearly impossible. With the Tide having one loss, they probably wouldn’t even bounce back from the number one ranking.
That’s the kind of clout you get when you’ve given up more than 14 points twice all season long. Plus, they’d still be in the SEC title game.
Let’s say they even lose that one.
Folks, the Tide is still rolling into the playoff in all likelihood.
The worst-case scenario is they lose to Auburn, then lose to 2-loss Florida, which would at least get some thought bubbles floating if the Gators have the same number of losses and the head to head.
But the Big Ten could produce a situation where a 2-loss team with a significantly weaker resume than two one-loss teams in the division with them gets into the title game against another 2-loss team.
The Pac-12 and Big 12 have been treated as mostly underwhelming in the eyes of the committee, and realistically, only Washington and West Virginia have chances to get in at this point from those two conferences.
Would the committee potentially look at two SEC teams? It’s certainly possible, given their affinity for the conference no matter what, it seems. But then again, you’re asking Florida to win out in this situation, which means a win over rival Florida State. That’s no gimme, and they won’t be favored.
So it is what it is, and what it is is the staggering reality that Alabama is so darn good this year, they ostensibly have a two game lead with three to play on the field in college football. That speaks both to the strength of the Tide and the amazing inability for anyone to keep pace with them.
They’re looking at being heavy, heavy favorites come December and January.
The CFB Playoff was supposed to give more teams that deserved a chance at a title a shot at doing so. But with three weeks left of college football to be played, and only two regular season ones, it looks like Alabama and everyone else, by a wide mile like we’ve nary seen in recent memory.
