Heather Dinich breaks down College Football Playoff ramifications for Alabama-Georgia game
Saturday’s matchup between Georgia and Alabama is as big as it gets. The two most dominant programs in recent college football history square off in a rare regular-season showdown for the ages.
But outside of the brand names, storylines, and winning pedigree of both programs, Saturday’s game in Tuscaloosa also has monumental postseason implications regarding the newly-expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. College football insider Heather Dinich addressed those playoff implications Wednesday morning on ESPN when Get Up host Mike Greenberg asked her if the winner is guaranteed a spot in the CFP.
“Greeny, I’m going to go fact on that one,” Dinich said. “Because whoever wins this game has a nine in 10 chance of making it to the playoff after this. They’ve got a tough stretch after this, but this is one that is going to be like none we’ve ever seen before. I say they’re in.
Georgia and Alabama’s matchup essentially serving as a College Football Playoff play-in game only raises the stakes for both teams. But a loss for each respective team is not created equally according to Dinich, having different regular season paths to making the expanded CFP that they could secure with a conference title win.
“One, if you look at Georgia, I would say it impacts them more if they lose, because they have a top remaining schedule down the stretch,” Dinich said. “And we could see a three loss team in the College Football Playoff, especially from the SEC.
“What college football fans need to remember is that the five highest ranked champions are going to get in this thing. So whoever loses this game, they’re still in the mix, because they can still win the SEC and get a guaranteed spot.”
The four conference champions from the Power Four and one Group of Five team will receive automatic bids into the College Football Playoff. Leaving seven more spots for the nation’s top team to make it into the 12-team CFP. Which will be challenging for both Georgia and Alabama if they don’t win an SEC title this season with the Bulldogs facing three more ranked opponents this season (just one at home) and the Crimson Tide facing four ranked SEC teams after hosting the Bulldogs.
“The question for the selection committee this year is do they reward a team that has multiple losses and played a more challenging schedule, like Alabama or Georgia, than a team from another conference that might have fewer losses and did not play as challenging a schedule?” Dinich concluded.
Georgia’s matchup against Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium is must see TV for college football fans. But the impact this game could potentially have in the big picture of the College Football Playoff will be fascinating to track beyond this weekend as well.