So long, Alabama.
The No. 6 Crimson Tide had been in a precarious position to begin with, and the thrilling overtime loss at LSU on Saturday night essentially eliminated two-loss Alabama from this year's College Football Playoff. No, this isn't 2019, and it's a far cry from the cigar-smoking, undefeated, Joe Burrow-led national champions, but first-year LSU coach Brian Kelly has an opportunity to make a different kind of history, as the Tigers can become the first two-loss team in the CFP.
If they can beat Georgia, of course.
A clear-cut No. 1 emerged for the selection committee Saturday afternoon, as Georgia should stand alone at the top Tuesday in the second CFP ranking after its convincing 27-13 win against Tennessee. Week 10 was quite revealing in the SEC, as Georgia thoroughly outplayed the selection committee's No. 1 team to take the lead in the SEC East, and LSU now is the front-runner in the SEC West. If LSU were to run the table and win the SEC, it would have defeated Alabama and Georgia along the way, compensating for its 24-23 season-opening loss to Florida State and its 40-13 defeat to Tennessee.
That's the most realistic scenario in which the SEC can still get two teams in the playoff -- LSU hands Georgia its lone loss in the SEC championship game, and the selection committee takes both the Tigers and the runner-up Bulldogs. The possibility of the committee taking three SEC teams no longer seems realistic, as Tennessee was beaten soundly in a game that was less competitive than the final score indicated.
While there is a snowball's chance that Alabama still wins the West, it's highly unlikely LSU loses again. ESPN's FPI favors LSU to win both of its remaining SEC games, against Arkansas and Texas A&M -- unranked teams that have a combined 8-10 record. With LSU holding the tiebreaker, Alabama would have to win out and LSU would have to lose out (conference games only). If LSU wins next week and Alabama wins against Ole Miss, the Tigers are SEC West champions.
Beyond Georgia, throw some darts, see where they land. It wasn't exactly a banner day for the Big Ten, though Ohio State and Michigan both won, and Clemson flopped in spectacular fashion at Notre Dame. Clemson's loss helped the Pac-12's hopes, but TCU remains undefeated after beating five-loss Texas Tech.
Five teams entered Saturday with at least a 50% chance to make the CFP, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, and three of them -- Tennessee, Alabama and Clemson -- lost.
In addition to the separation that occurred in the SEC, here's how the rest of the Saturday results will impact who ultimately finishes in the top four: