College Football Playoff Selection Show 2018: Date, Start Time, Live-Stream Info
Months of nauseating debate surrounding the College Football Playoff ends Sunday.
The four playoff teams will be selected Sunday afternoon by the 13-person selection committee, which has already made some things clear about its preferences.
Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Georgia sit in the playoff positions entering Saturday's games, but only Notre Dame is safe after ending its regular season 12-0.
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Alabama, Clemson and Georgia all have to win Saturday to secure their playoff positions, and if Alabama beats Georgia, the No. 4 seed is open for Oklahoma or Ohio State.
If Georgia wins the SEC Championship, the playoff discussion becomes messier, and it would bring about a discussion the committee would like to avoid if it can.
Selection Show Information
Date: Sunday, December 2
Start Time: Noon ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN or ESPN app
Committee's Shown Preference For SEC Schools
Over half of the programs in the SEC earned a spot in the latest College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday, with Missouri joining a collection of seven teams that were consistent figures in the Top 25 since the end of October.
In addition to owning the most teams from a single conference, the SEC is represented by four teams in the Top 10, which means it will send a quartet of programs to the New Year's Six.
Which games those four teams play in remains a mystery, but there's a chance Alabama and Georgia both participate in the playoff if Georgia wins the SEC Championship.
If Alabama loses, it still has four victories over teams in the final playoff poll, a number aided by Missouri's entrance.
If the selection committee opts to go with Alabama over two one-loss conference champions in Oklahoma and Ohio State, they'll justify the decision by pointing to the strength of the SEC and the Crimson Tide's resume.
Driving this thought process is that Alabama got into the playoff a year ago as a one-loss team that didn't even play in its conference title game.
Putting two teams from the SEC into the playoff will be a controversial decision, and it will spark outrage from the Big Ten and Big 12, especially if Oklahoma and Ohio State produce convincing wins Saturday.
Of course, the SEC debate goes away if Alabama defeats Georgia, but even in that scenario, the conference will be treated well, with the Bulldogs going to the Sugar Bowl and Florida and LSU handed at-large berths in the New Year's Six.
Tough Decision Between Choosing Oklahoma and Ohio State
If we assume Alabama wins, and there's a strong possibility it does, the playoff debate turns to the No. 4 seed and the credentials of Oklahoma and Ohio State.
The Sooners are in an ideal position at No. 5, as all they have to do is win and hope for a Georgia loss to qualify for the playoff.
Lincoln Riley's team is in that position because it has looked more dominant than the Buckeyes over the course of the season.
You can make a legitimate argument the Sooners don't belong because of their porous defense, but they've been able to outscore 11 opponents and dropped a three-point loss to Texas.
Conversely, Ohio State looked awful against Nebraska and Maryland in the buildup to their blowout win over Michigan, and it has an ugly road loss to Purdue on its resume.
Beating Texas adds another quality win to Oklahoma's record, while the committee won't value Ohio State's victory over Northwestern as much.
The one scenario that could make the decision as close as possible has Oklahoma struggling to beat Texas and Ohio State knocking off the Big Ten West champion by 30 or 40 points.
If that occurs, the committee might opt for the hotter team in Ohio State, as it could be viewed as the best-possible opponent for Alabama.
As long as Oklahoma, Ohio State and Alabama win, the committee will be forced to make a tough decision between the Big 12 and Big Ten champions.
It won't be an easy decision to swallow for Buckeyes fans, but all signs are pointing toward Oklahoma getting in.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
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