What would a loss to Georgia mean for Alabama’s Playoff hopes?

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 02: Mykel Williams #13 and Tykee Smith #23 of the Georgia Bulldogs tackle Roydell Williams #5 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the third quarter in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 02, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

On Saturday, the No. 4 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs clash in the biggest regular season match-up of the year. The Dawgs have won a record 28 straight SEC regular season games, with their last loss coming in Tuscaloosa in 2020. Georgia is 45-2 in their previous 47 games, but both losses have come to Alabama.

I think the Tide has a great chance to win, but they are betting underdogs and could certainly lose the game. If that happens, what does that mean for the Tide?

With the Playoff expanding to 12 teams this year, the chances to qualify have greatly increased. In the ten years of the four-team format, no two-loss team ever qualified. This year, I would imagine that over half the field will have at least two losses. However, I doubt any three-loss teams will make the playoffs.

Alabama would fall a few spots in the polls with a loss to Georgia, but it’s hard to imagine they’d be punished much for a loss to the No. 2 team in the country. The Tide’s schedule the rest of the way is still very difficult consisting of at No. 5 Tennessee, vs. No. 11 Missouri, at No. 14 LSU, at No. 21 Oklahoma and then the Iron Bowl to end the year. So if Alabama loses Saturday, the margin for error will be pretty thin the rest of the way.

If Alabama finishes the year 10-2 with two ranked losses, they will be in the playoffs. With five of the top six teams in the country coming out of the SEC, the race for the conference championship will be crazy competitive.

For Georgia, they face a gauntlet of a schedule to end the year…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/loss-georgia-mean-alabamas-playoff-161512436.html

Author : Roll Tide Wire

Publish date : 2024-09-27 16:15:12

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