Heather Dinich of ESPN has kept a close eye on the College Football Playoff committee’s view of a potential 2-loss Alabama reaching the semifinals, and the question is raised about if Alabama plays Georgia close, similar to the Iron Bowl scenario, to help the Crimson Tide’s cause of reaching the semifinals.

“The reality is that window is shrinking,” Dinich said on SEC This Morning on the SEC Network. “I say that because the selection committee’s biggest question, literally as we sit here today and they’re meeting right now is probably what to do with Alabama. Do they drop them to No. 4 behind Cincinnati? What do they think of them as a College Football Playoff contender at this moment, so I think that will help answer this question on Tuesday.”

Dinich then stressed the importance of the conference championship games, and if Iowa wins the Big Ten, or if Houston wins the American, or 2-loss Baylor wins the Big 12.

“If that happens and Alabama loses a close game, then yeah, maybe we are reviving that conversation,” she said. “But based on how they’ve looked … are they an elite team. That’s a question the committee has to answer, and don’t forget, if Alabama doesn’t win the SEC, they have to look at their protocol and be able to say that Alabama is unequivocally one of the 4 best teams in the country.”