Heather Dinich explains how head-to-head, Alabama win over Georgia impacts College Football Playoff

When the College Football Playoff rankings debut in three weeks, Alabama is sure to generate one of the more interesting conversations. The Crimson Tide hold the head-to-head over Georgia, but as ESPN’s Heather Dinich explained Tuesday, that could have an impact on the rest of the rankings.

Alabama’s win over Georgia is one of the best of the season as the Crimson Tide fought off the Bulldogs in a thriller. But one week later, they wound up on the other end of the spectrum with a stunning loss to Vanderbilt in Nashville. Suddenly, the conversation started to shift about the Tide – and the upcoming CFP rankings were a big part of it.

While Dinich noted head-to-head is “not everything,” it is one of the committee’s tiebreakers. That’s why common opponents could also come into play if the rankings are close at the end of the year.

“It’s not everything, but it is a tiebreaker in their protocol,” Dinich told Rece Davis of head-to-head records. “So Warde Manuel – Michigan’s athletic director, the committee chair – would advise them [to] look down, remember your protocol. If the teams are comparable, that’s one thing you have to consider. Alabama’s a complex character because it has one of the best wins in the country [over Georgia], one of the worst losses to Vandy. But here’s the thing, Rece. If the committee doesn’t deem those teams comparable in spite of their records, they can ignore that head-to-head result.

“But I would be surprised if Alabama dropped further than Clemson because they also compare common opponents. Clemson and Georgia played, Alabama and Georgia played. We know the difference in those two results. So maybe you see Miami ahead of Alabama, but I don’t think they drop much further than six or seven, and the AP poll has that reflected right.”

Georgia came in at No. 5 in the latest AP Top 25, which was two spots ahead of No. 7 Alabama. The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide both bring 5-1 records into Week 8 with high-profile matchups on tap. UGA will take on No. 1 Texas in a highly anticipated affair while Alabama will square off against No. 11 Tennessee in its annual Third Saturday in October rivalry.

It’s safe to say, the College Football Playoff picture is still a bit blurry as conference title races heat up. But once the first rankings drop Nov. 5, all eyes are sure to be on Alabama and Georgia.