ATHENS — Gary Stokan, as CEO and President of the Peach Bowl, has played out this college football scenario out before, and he knows better than anyone it promises to be a white-knuckle finish.

“The interesting thing this week is the ACC Championship Game ramifications, which will have the most impact on the Final 12,” said Stokan, an expert at evaluating such scenarios, as even before the 12-team playoff the New Year’s Six Bowl had a pecking order decided by CFP rankings.

“You have one scenario, where if Clemson beats SMU, it could knock out Alabama,” Stokan said, describing the Tide’s worst nightmare.

“That’s if they keep SMU, which would have two Top 20 losses and have played in a championship game, versus an Alabama team that’s not playing in a championship game.”

Indeed, two of the Tide’s losses —to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma — could prove fatal when resumes are compared.

But then, Alabama (9-3) has more quality wins -- though not an equal numbers of wins -- as 11-win SMU.

Stokan knows an argument could go either way, and things can and have changed quickly in the CFP rankings.

“Three weeks ago Georgia was out, and now they could be a No. 2 seed or even hosting a game with a loss,” Stokan said. “Having done this before, I know doing the rankings week to week is hard, because the Top 25 changes every week.

“A team loses to a Top 10 opponent early in the season and it looks like one thing, but then that Top 10 team falls out and that win over them doesn’t mean as much.”

But if SMU beats Clemson, the door opens for Alabama, as the No. 17-ranked Tigers will not make the field, opening up a final at-large spot the Tide is positioned to claim.

“So Alabama has to be the biggest fans for SMU in the world right now,” Stokan said. “The teams ranked above (Alabama), are going to get in, all the way down to Indiana, it’s just a matter of where they play —,do they play a home game, or do they go on the road?”

Those top 9 teams Stokan referenced are, in current rank and order: Oregon, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee, (possibly) SMU and then Indiana.

The Big 12 Championship Game winner — either No. 15 or No. 16 Iowa State — will also receive an automatic bid — leaving the committee with SMU (should it beat Clemson) and Alabama to fill out the field, or, Clemson (automatic bid) and either SMU or Alabama.

The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl certainly has a stake in the ACC Championship Game, as — at the moment — it seems the best odds are for the Peach Bowl to get the winner of the ACC Championship Game in the 1 p.m. game on Jan. 1 (TV: ESPN) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

But it’s not a lock, as the winner of the Big 12 title game (Arizona State-Iowa State) might also be playing in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, depending on how other league championship games play out.

There’s even the possibility of an Alabama at Notre Dame first-round matchup providing an opponent for an ACC champion SMU in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

If Clemson beats SMU, however, it introduces several other first-round game possibilities that would feed into the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

“That would Itl drive people nuts,” Stokan said, expounding on a scenario where Clemson wins and jumps the Big 12 Championship Game winner in the final rankings.

“That South Carolina beat Clemson at Clemson, which then would not only be in the playoffs, but also get a bye.”

The first year of the 12-team College Football Playoffs has indeed provided plenty of food for thought.

Here are the current rankings, and each team’s next game:

1. Oregon 12-0 (vs. Penn State, Big Ten title game)

2. Texas 11-1 (vs, Georgia, SEC title game)

3. Penn State 11-1 (vs. Oregon, Big Ten title game)

4. Notre Dame 11-1 (hosting first-round CFP game)

5. Georgia 10-2 (vs. Texas, SEC title game)

6. Ohio State 10-2 (first-round CFP game)

7. Tennessee 10-2 (first-round CFP game)

8. SMU 11-1 (vs. Clemson, ACC title game)

9. Indiana 11-1 (first-round CFP game)

10. Boise State 11-1 (MWC title game)

11. Alabama 9-3 (TBD)

12. Miami 10-2 (bowl game)

13. Ole Miss 9-3 (bowl game)

14. South Carolina 9-3 (bowl game)

15. Arizona State 10-2 (Big 12 title game vs. Iowa State)

16. Iowa State 10-2 (Big 12 title game vs. Arizona State)

17. Clemson 9-3 (ACC title game vs. SMU)

18. BYU 10-2 (bowl game)

19. Missouri 9-3 (bowl game)

20. UNLV 10-2 (vs., Boise State, MWC title game)

21. Illinois 9-3 (bowl game)

22. Syracuse 9-3 (bowl game)

23. Colorado 9-3 (bowl game)

24. Army 10-1 (AAC title game vs. Tulane)

25. Memphis 10-2 (bowl game)

2024-25 College Football Playoff schedule, dates, TV channel, sites

All times Eastern