What does Alabama need to make the College Football Playoff?

The Alabama Crimson Tide made their case for a College Football Playoff berth in Atlanta on Saturday, ending a 29-game winning streak for the previously No. 1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.

In every previous iteration of the College Football Playoff, a 12-1 SEC champion with a win over the No. 1 team in the country would be a lock for the Top 4. This season has been different, though. Seven teams came into conference championship weekend with a chance to make it in, Alabama of course among them.

The end result is almost surely some team being left out despite, on the whole, being deserving -- but who would you then leave out? That's the major question.

Alabama's spot simply isn't locked up, despite beating Georgia. With the ACC Championship Game and Big Ten Championship Game still to be played on Saturday, that could go a long way in determining the Crimson Tide's fate. But what does Nick Saban's team need to ensure their spot? Let's take a look.

What does Alabama need to make the College Football Playoff?

The easiest conceivable path for Alabama to make the CFP is for Florida State to lose to Louisville in the ACC Championship Game. That would almost surely put the Texas Longhorns at No. 3 and the Crimson Tide at No. 4.

If Florida State beats Louisville, however, things get much dicier for Alabama. Barring a Michigan upset loss to Iowa (unlikely), the Selection Committee would be left weighing three teams -- undefeated Florida State, Texas, and Alabama -- for just two spots behind Michigan and Washington.

One can assume -- though we don't know with certainty -- that undefeated Florida State would get in as an unbeaten conference champion. With Texas beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa earlier in the season, that might leave the Longhorns getting the nod over the Crimson Tide.

At the same time, it would be hard to leave a team the caliber of Alabama (or Texas, for that matter) outside of the Playoff for a Florida State team that will be going into the postseason without QB Jordan Travis.

Put simply, Alabama may need some help to make the Playoff. But then again, who knows what Top 4 the Committee will come up with when it's all said and done on Selection Sunday?