College Football Playoff rankings, Week 13: 3 takeaways

By John Buhler | Nov 21, 2017

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - NOVEMBER 18: Ahmmon Richards No. 82 celebrates his touchdown with Braxton Berrios No. 8 of the Miami Hurricanes against the Virginia Cavaliers on November 18, 2017 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Miami defeated Virginia 44-28. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

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TUSCALOOSA, AL – NOVEMBER 18: Josh Jacobs No. 8 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts after rushing for a touchdown against the Mercer Bears at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The SEC could get two teams in or zero, depending on Alabama

For a while there, this looked like it might be the year that a Power 5 conference gets two teams in. Throughout most of the process, it seemed like the SEC would be the conference that could get two teams in. That being said, one thing must happen for any of this two-team talk to manifest.

Alabama has to win the Iron Bowl over rival Auburn. Though the Crimson Tide are unscathed at 11-0, their best wins so far are over three-loss SEC West rivals in the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs (9-3) and the No. 18 LSU Tigers (9-3). Sadly, a one-loss Alabama may not make the cut as an at-large team if other Power 5 contenders win out.

The SEC’s best and probably only shot at getting two teams in is if Alabama beats Auburn down on The Plains and Georgia beats the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship. A one-loss SEC Champion Georgia gets in and maybe a one-loss runner-up Alabama team does with some chaos happening elsewhere.

However should Auburn win the Iron Bowl, the Tigers may not get in even if they beat Georgia again. The SEC could get shutout if Clemson beats Miami in the ACC Champion and both Oklahoma and Wisconsin win out. It’s possible the ACC gets two teams in, but it may just be the Pac-12 getting shutout this year.

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