Georgia escaped against Texas A&M while Alabama and LSU rolled to easy victories Saturday.

So, boring day in the SEC when it comes to College Football Playoff debate, right?

Uh, no. Not right.

The SEC’s hopes of getting 2 teams into the CFP semifinals got a huge boost with Oregon going down to Arizona State in Tempe. That knocked the Ducks out of national title contention and hurt the Pac-12 badly. Now the conference really has to root for Utah to beat Oregon — actually the Utes might have to trounce the Ducks to make the Playoff.

It’s a given that — assuming neither team stumbles in its regular-season finale — the winner of the SEC title game between Georgia and LSU is a lock for the CFP.

If LSU enters 12-0 and loses to the Dawgs, the Tigers would have to still get in alongside Georgia, at Alabama’s expense.

But if LSU runs the table and especially if Alabama throttles Auburn, the Crimson Tide will have made a very serious case at inclusion over any other candidate for the No. 4 spot in the Playoff.

Oklahoma and Utah are the biggest threats to that scenario.

The Sooners have not quite been the same dominant team since losing to Kansas State but OU is still 10-1 with a chance at impressing some CFP voters by trouncing Oklahoma State this weekend and, especially, defeating Baylor convincingly in the Big 12 title game.

For Utah the picture is complicated. It was very possible that the Utes could have barreled into the CFP with a win over an 11-1 Oregon team in the Pac-12 title game. But now that Oregon will be, at best, 10-2? That’s a different challenge for Utah in terms of climbing the rankings, especially considering Utah’s weak nonconference schedule.

Oregon is 1 of 2 teams to fall out of our CFP contenders list this week along with Penn State, which lost to Ohio State for its 2nd defeat in 3 weeks.

This is our take on how we think the committee will rank these contenders Tuesday.

Prime-time players

LSU

Thrashing Arkansas is satisfying for LSU fans at any time and the Tigers had the game put away well before 2 meaningless Razorbacks touchdowns in the 4th quarter. Questions will rise again about LSU’s defense, but the offense has reached a point where it puts up 50 points and 500+ yards almost as a matter of routine.

Ohio State

One ranked team down, one to go. Now we know the Big Ten East Division champion Buckeyes are headed for the championship game Dec. 7 in Indianapolis, where they will take on another ranked team (Minnesota or Wisconsin). Saturday’s struggle against Penn State was exactly the answer for those who asked about what OSU would do if it was truly challenged — or perhaps it exposed a couple of rare cracks.

Clemson

After a week off, the ACC Atlantic Division champions get one more hurdle before the league title game on Dec. 7. On paper South Carolina, at 4-7, should not be much of a challenge. But rivalry games have a way of defying what’s on paper. Which Gamecocks team is for real: The one that beat Georgia or the one that lost to Appalachian State and got pasted by Texas A&M in its past 2 games?

Georgia

The Bulldogs just squeaked past a solid Texas A&M team, but is that enough to keep UGA at No. 4? Actually, does it matter? Assuming the Dawgs take care of business against Georgia Tech this weekend, the CFP hopes for Kirby Smart’s team will all ride on the SEC Championship Game. Can Georgia score enough to keep up with Joe Burrow and the LSU offense? Everything is in play for Georgia.

Alabama

After routing FCS opponent Western Carolina, Alabama gets it biggest test of the new post-Tua Tagovailoa era next at Auburn. The Iron Bowl will be one of the most talked-about games in the country, as it always is, but then again national championship implications are nothing new when it comes to Alabama vs. Auburn.

Knocking at the door

Utah

Now the Pac-12 favorite after Oregon’s shocking loss, the Utes have not even clinched the South Division. They need to beat Colorado on Saturday to punch their ticket because USC, which defeated Utah in the conference opener, kept on Utah’s heels with a season-ending win over UCLA on Saturday. Utah probably has to dominate from here on to even have a shot at the CFP.

Oklahoma

Another close victory for the Sooners, who barely escaped at home against TCU. What does Oklahoma have to go to get past Utah and Alabama in the CFP rankings? I don’t know if there is anything they can do except clobber Oklahoma State and Baylor, then hope for some help.

Dropped out: Penn State, Oregon