SEC Football Q&A: What's More Likely, 2 SEC Playoff Teams or Zero?
The biggest game in Mississippi State history didn't go the way head coach Dan Mullen expected, as the previously No. 1 Bulldogs fell to Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Saturday 25-20 and lost control of their own SEC West destiny.
What about their playoff destiny, though?
The 9-1 Bulldogs chimed in at the No. 4 spot in the lated College Football Playoff rankings, and have a pretty strong case to make for the inaugural event.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
If both Alabama and Mississippi State win out, will both make it? Will chaos continue and zero teams make it? That question, plus a look at a Georgia freshman sensation and an SEC Championship Game prediction are in this week's SEC Q&A.
Without question, it's more likely that zero SEC teams are in the College Football Playoff than it is that two get in.
It doesn't really matter where they're ranked midseason. One of the stated points of emphasis of the selection committee is conference championships, and those simply won't exist until championship Saturday. How important will they be?
"All I heard about before this thing got started was the commissioners—the only reason they agreed to this—is if the conference champion...'the only way we agree to this is if the conference champions were going to be recognized and honored by having a chance to get in there,'" ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit told B/R during his tour promoting the Allstate VIP "It's Good" sweepstakes. "I didn't just hear that one or two times, I heard that repeatedly."
That should terrify Mississippi State fans because there will be one-loss teams with conference titles to boast on "Selection Sunday," and if Mississippi State isn't one of them, it runs the risk of getting jumped despite a resume that might be stronger than some conference champions.
Zero SEC teams in the College Football Playoff? That could happen.
If Missouri or Georgia beats the SEC West contender in the SEC Championship Game, neither would be a lock for a playoff spot. Missouri has an ugly home loss to Indiana on its resume, and Georgia's losses to South Carolina and Florida won't sit well with the selection committee, either.
If chalk holds around the country and Florida State, Oregon, TCU/Baylor and Ohio State all don't lose, I don't see either of those SEC East teams getting in.
Oh, without a doubt.
What Nick Chubb has done this season has been nothing short of remarkable. During incredibly trying and unexpected times, he stepped in for superstar Todd Gurley during his suspension, and the offense didn't miss a beat.
For a true freshman to step in and rush for 1,039 yards on 152 carries and score nine touchdowns is impressive regardless of the situation. But to do it in the middle of a division title race in place of a superstar who is unexpectedly absent makes him one of the—if not the—most valuable players on Georgia's roster.
With that said, though, it's going to be very difficult for Chubb—or any running back—to win the Heisman Trophy. Only two non-quarterbacks have won it since 2000, and one of those was former USC star Reggie Bush, who returned it after the NCAA came calling.
Chubb will be in the mix and a big part of Georgia's offense next year, especially considering it'll be breaking in a new starting quarterback. But he might have to have a Melvin Gordon-like season to have a legitimate chance at winning.
After the way Auburn looked against Georgia—with literally nothing going right—it's hard to imagine the Tigers rolling into Tuscaloosa and upsetting the Alabama Crimson Tide in two weeks. So I'll switch my pick and say Alabama now.
In the East, I'll go with Georgia.
The Bulldogs are in the clubhouse with a 6-2 conference record and need Missouri to lose one of its final two games—at Tennessee and vs. Arkansas—to go to Atlanta. Not only will Missouri lose this weekend to the Vols, it'll lose both.
Tennessee has found a spark in quarterback Joshua Dobbs, and its defense should be able to rattle Tigers quarterback Maty Mauk, who has thrown 10 picks and is ninth in the SEC in passer rating (118.56). Arkansas' defense found some life last week in the shutout over LSU and, now that it knows what it takes to win in the SEC, will be difficult for anyone to stop moving forward.
If it's Alabama vs. Georgia in Atlanta, it would be a rematch of the 2012 classic that saw Georgia fall five yards short of winning the SEC and advancing to the BCS National Championship Game. That would make for quite a matchup.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
