AUSTIN, Texas — A new vibe created by the implementation of the new, 12-team College Football Playoff is beginning to take effect.
Fears that college football might somehow lose the urgency of its regular-season matchups with the expansions from a two-team BCS Championship (1998-2013) to the four-team CFP (2014-2023) and now the 12-team field, can be laid to rest.
Georgia is battling Texas for SEC supremacy, Alabama is traveling to Tennessee for the traditional “Third Saturday in October” matchup and LSU is playing at Arkansas in the battle for the “Golden Boot” trophy.
But beneath those compelling storylines — all of them very much alive, and not overshadowed — there are juicy postseason implications.
As much as the No. 5-ranked Bulldogs want to send the message that they are still the class of the SEC, having won the league’s two most recent national titles, a win is needed to stay on pace to make the 12-team CFP field.
Should Georgia lose to the favored Longhorns — the spread reached 5 points on Thursday morning — it would have two losses and could be on the brink of playoff field elimination should it lose one of its remaining games at Ole Miss or at home against Tennessee or Georgia Tech.
Texas, meanwhile, would take a big step toward securing a place in the SEC Championship Game, with only one remaining regular-season game left against a currently ranked opponent (at No. 14 Texas A&M, Nov. 30).
In Knoxville, the stakes are even higher, with both the Tide and the Vols each carrying a loss into the action.
A loss for Alabama or Tennessee would severely damage any hopes of playing in the SEC Championship Game — and potentially earning a CFP first-round bye — in addition to putting the loser on the brink of CFP field elimination.
As things stand, a one-loss Notre Dame would most certainly make the 12-team CFP field, eliminating a potential at-large spot for a three-loss SEC team.
Two-loss SEC teams, however, stand a good chance of making the CFP 12-team field, and that’s why even Arkansas — 4-2 overall and 2-1 in league play — still has plenty to play for when LSU visits.
The Razorbacks have plenty of opportunities left to climb in the polls, and would do just that if they can beat LSU, Ole Miss and Texas in winning out.
The Bayou Bengals, meanwhile, could essentially eliminate the rival Hogs with a win while keep their SEC title game and CFP hopes alive with notable showdowns against Texas A&M and Alabama still ahead.
College football used to say that every week was a playoff, and that still holds true today, albeit in a different sort of way.
PLAYOFFS?
Here are the SEC teams remaining with two losses or less — essentially, still in the CFP 12-team playoff field picture:
Texas A&M 5-1 overall, 3-0 SEC
Texas 6-0 overall, 2-0 SEC
LSU 5-1 overall, 2-0 SEC
Georgia 5-1 overall, 3-1 SEC
Alabama 5-1 overall, 2-1 SEC
Tennessee 5-1 overall, 2-1 SEC
Arkansas 4-2 overall, 2-1 SEC
Vanderbilt 4-2 overall, 2-1 SEC
Missouri 5-1 overall, 1-1 SEC
Ole Miss 5-2 overall, 1-2 SEC
Oklahoma 4-2 overall, 1-2 SEC
Here’s this week’s SEC schedule:
(DraftKings line, at time of publication)
Auburn at Missouri (-4.5), Noon, ESPN
The pick: Missouri 34, Auburn 28
South Carolina at Oklahoma (-1.5), 12:45 p.m., SEC Network
The pick: Oklahoma 24, South Carolina 21
Alabama (-3) at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m., ABC
The pick: Alabama 41, Tennessee 38
Texas A&M (-16.5) at Mississippi State, 4:15 p.m., SEC Network
The pick: Texas A&M 34, Mississippi State 17
LSU (-2.5) at Arkansas, 7 p.m. ESPN
The pick: Arkansas 30, LSU 27
Ball State at Vanderbilt (-25), 7 p.m. ESPN-Plus Stream
The pick: Vanderbilt 37, Ball State 10
Georgia at Texas (-5), 7:30 p.m., ABC
The pick: Georgia 31, Texas 30
Kentucky (-2) at Florida, 7:45 p.m., SEC Network
IDLE: Ole Miss
Last week: 5-2 straight-up, 4-2 vs. spread
Season: 49-17 straight up 35-30 vs. spread
