I know what you’re thinking. Stop right now.

The thought of it is utterly preposterous.

Or is it?

Three SEC teams in the Playoff?

We’re going to need some 2007-level stuff to happen before the SEC somehow has 3 teams in the Playoff.

For those who don’t remember 2007, here’s a quick summation: Missouri and West Virginia needed to win in the final week of the season against Oklahoma and Pittsburgh, respectively — and lost.

LSU, which lost in overtime a week earlier as the nation’s No. 1 team — to underdog rival Arkansas with a coach (Houston Nutt) on the way out — won the SEC Championship Game despite coach Les Miles holding a press conference before the game to announce that he wouldn’t be the Michigan coach and that he had a “damn fine” LSU team.

The Tigers advanced to the BCS National Championship Game, where they (of course) curb-stomped Ohio State.

If you’re looking for a connection to this year’s Playoff, we give you Ohio State, which has the easiest path to the CFP.

For now, let’s circle back to the unthinkable: 3 SEC teams in the Playoff. How does it happen, you ask? Let me count the ways (with as many as 4 SEC teams in the running):

All of the ensuing scenarios include a Big Ten runner-up (Ohio State or Michigan) with 2 losses, and the ACC, Pac-12 and Big 12 champions with 1 loss each.

In that scenario, a 3rd SEC team would be chosen over a 1-loss Power 5 champion, and that’s a heavy lift for the CFP selection committee. If the Big 12, Pac-12 and ACC champions have 2 losses each, that’s a completely different story — and the 3rd SEC team is a much easier lift for the committee.

And just in case you’re wondering, there’s a good chance the SEC will get 2 teams in the Playoff regardless of these wild scenarios.

Scenario 1

• Georgia wins out, and does so with a last-minute win over Tennessee on Nov. 5.

• Ole Miss wins out, then loses to Georgia in the last minute of the SEC Championship Game.

• Tennessee wins out after losing to Georgia.

Potential Playoff: SEC champion (Georgia), Big Ten champion, Ole Miss, Tennessee.

Scenario 2

• Tennessee wins out, including a close win over Georgia, but loses in the SEC Championship Game rematch to 1-loss Alabama.

• Ole Miss loses to Alabama, but wins out after.

• Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Ole Miss each has 1 loss.

Potential Playoff: SEC champion (Alabama), Big Ten champion, Tennessee, Ole Miss or Georgia.

Scenario 3

• Tennessee or Georgia wins out and the other finishes with 1 loss, and the winner beats unbeaten Ole Miss in the last minute of the SEC Championship Game.

Potential Playoff: SEC Champion (Tennessee or Georgia), Big Ten champion, Ole Miss, Tennessee or Georgia.

Scenario 4

• Georgia wins out, including a last-minute win over Tennessee, but loses to 1-loss Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Ole Miss loses to Alabama, then wins out.

• Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Ole Miss each has 1 loss.

Potential Playoff: Big Ten champion, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee.

Scenario 5

• Ole Miss wins out, Georgia or Tennessee wins out, and the other has 1 loss.

Potential Playoff: SEC champion (Ole Miss or East Division winner), Big Ten champion, SEC runner-up, SEC East Division runner-up.

There are currently 9 unbeaten FBS teams (none in the Group of 5): Clemson, Syracuse, TCU, Michigan, Ohio State, UCLA, Georgia, Tennessee and Ole Miss.

Saturday’s games include Syracuse at Clemson, UCLA at Oregon, Kansas State at TCU, Iowa at Ohio State, UT-Martin at Tennessee and Ole Miss at LSU.

Based purely on favorites, those 9 unbeaten could become 6 after Saturday night.

If you’re truly engaged in this wild fantasy of 3 SEC teams in the Playoff, watch Clemson, TCU and UCLA for the remainder of the season. The more they lose — and all 3 must lose at least once, and more than likely twice — the greater the chances for the SEC to pull off the Playoff trifecta.

Frankly, the road to the Playoff isn’t exactly easy for Clemson, TCU and UCLA.

UCLA must not only win at Oregon on Saturday, it will likely have to beat bitter rival USC twice to win the Pac-12.

Clemson has potentially difficult games at Notre Dame on Nov. 5 and against Miami on Nov. 19. The opponent in the ACC Championship Game currently looks like North Carolina.

TCU has the most difficult road of all: The Horned Frogs play 1-loss Kansas State on Saturday night and have road games remaining against West Virginia (Oct. 29), Texas (Nov. 12) and Baylor (Nov. 19).

Ohio State and Michigan could complicate Playoff scenarios for the SEC, too. If both are unbeaten for their Nov. 26 game, the winner — barring a huge upset in the Big Ten Championship Game — advances to the Playoff.

The loser could be a 2nd Big Ten team in the Playoff.

The likeliest Playoff scenario at this point: unbeaten Georgia, unbeaten Ohio State or Michigan, unbeaten Clemson and the SEC and Big Ten competing for the final Playoff spot.

Should Clemson, TCU and UCLA lose, there’s a real possibility that it could be an SEC vs. Big Ten Playoff.

And that’s where college football is headed, anyway.

Why not a couple of years earlier than expected?