He absolutely could've gotten an invitation. Same as Anderson. Can't have three (or four) of the potential winners all be from the SEC because they're truly the best, though. Participation Trophy society doesn't like that sort of thing.

You know that SEC bias people keep talking about? Here it is. UNC is the cream of the crop ACC team that was supposed to threaten Clemson and be a NC contender, and SCAR is possibly still playing with a coaching assistant QB. This is an utterly absurd match-up, and clearly the correct competitive one would be a mid to top level SEC team. What are the organizers admitting here?

You three make a nice clown show. ** What the heck LSUSMC? At no point was I disrespectful or engaging in ad hominems against you as an individual. I'd appreciate the same.

Wake Forest is an outstanding ACC powerhouse, and could easily be a bottom to middle tier SEC east team. Should be a fun game.

“We want to play the best teams,” * Once per season.

I was making fun of low achievement and participation trophy mentality. Sorry if I was unclear.

Also, Clemson’s defense is better than Alabama. * Clemson's defense in the ACC against teams like NC State and Pitt is better.

The committee members won’t admit it, but they would rather have the biggest names in its sport make the Playoff. * They probably also prefer teams that are in the top 100 strength of schedule rankings, but Participation Trophy Society has taken over and here we are. I want Alabama to go independent, play Notre Dame every year, not play a conference championship ever, and have a guaranteed playoff spot from here on out. That's how this works, right?

That was not a heck of a game. * I know it's a matter of perspective, but I doubt any Bama fan was truly comfortable until that field goal with around two minutes left that put it just out of reach even with a successful onside kick after a score in the final seconds. Like I said, it was a heck of a game.

Oh, just wait until six SEC teams are in the 12 playoff spots. Because if they're basing it on best teams, they'll have to be. I can hardly wait, though, because Bama will never miss another playoff.

based on the 2-year résumé * This is one of the most absurd things I've ever read on SDS, and I'll note that this is SDS. Since last year's team counts then why was Alabama's playoff position ever in question? Regardless, you posted Alabama's nine victories against bowl eligible P5 teams, along with Michigan's eight and Georgia's five, but am I just reading wrong or did you leave out Cincinnati's? Somehow the exact same mentality that would keep Alabama out for a loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship would firmly keep Cincinnati in because they beat a perpetually loved but conference-free, mediocre, and mostly harmless Notre Dame back near the beginning of the year. Children raised in a participation trophy society are finally coming to power, and we're watching the results in real time.

Just saw that Alabama's season was 9 wins over bowl-eligible P5 teams.

Thanks Vive. Y’all looked incredible tonight, but I think we’re pretty good too. ** Absolutely. It was competetive as hail, and a few different bounces and the game goes the other way. I posted it on another thread, but I think this helps y'all tremendously in the playoffs because it gives you that 4th quarter trial-by-fire experience that was missing for much of this year without hardly any downside, because I can't imagine you drop out of the top four. Great game and I hope we can do it again in January.

Georgia’s schedule was a joke. Been trying to warn people all year they weren’t tested…this defense was great vs atrocious offenses * And yet any of those teams could go to any other conference and immediately be in the mix for the conference championship and NC conversation.

I'm just glad we're bowl eligible this year.

Honestly, this will only help UGAs play in the playoffs. We fell into that 4th quarter trap with Tua and weren't ready for an entire game when the time came to play a team that admitted they had been game-planning and practicing for the Alabama since November or so. There will be a lot of useful lessons learned from this, and Georgia will be more dangerous going forward.

Heck of a game, Dawgs. See you again in the playoffs.

It's Georgia's NC to lose, and I'll be proud for Kirby if he does. He's a good guy and still means a lot to Alabama and her fans. And he'd better beat Bama this year, because the stars of one of the best, most experienced, most smothering Georgia teams corresponding with one of the youngest, struggling Alabama teams (and now with only one RB who recently had to learn how to walk again) probably aren't going to align very often. This season I'm just happy to still be in the NC conversation because I never really expect it immediately after the loss of players and coaching staff. LSU understands. Georgia, you might understand here soon, too. I think we'll be pretty good next year, though.

Careful what you wish for. - Ed Orgeron

Notre Dame expected to hire new head coach, per reports ** It's this kind of insightful journalism that keeps people coming back to SDS.

People have short memories and don't seem to remember it anymore, but the playoff committee's job is to put the best teams in the playoffs. Not the highest ranked, not the most deserving, not the ones with the best story, and not the ones whose time has come because reasons. The four best teams. Nothing more, nothing less. We've already moved on from that, though. Now the exact same mentality that will put an undefeated 100+ or so SOS Cincinnati in the playoffs will also keep a 1-loss SEC West champion out if they lose to the powerhouse SEC East champion. I don't expect to get in with a loss, and I think it's Georgia's year this year, but it's absurd to pretend Cincinnati would have better than 20-30% odds or so to even be bowl eligible with the same SEC West (or probably East) schedule. I'm not sure that's how best works. But, like I said, we've moved on from that.

That Lauren Sisler really knows her stuff. We're lucky to have such in-depth analysis from someone who also watches games on TV just like all of us.

Not having running backs or a starting center is probably bigger than anything having to do with Georgia.

That was a long-winded way of saying that don’t let Bennett’s lack of volume fool you. He’s been accurate downfield, which is a big reason Georgia has been so unstoppable... * I've already said I think it's Georgia's to lose, but man oh man did we fall into the "unstoppable" trap when Tua was only playing half of every game. That (and, if we're honest, a tradition of signal stealing) bit us in the ess when the title game arrived. I'm not saying it will happen to Georgia, but it's not a bad thing to have to play hard through games.

Yep. Assuming a loss against Georgia, the exact same mindset that will keep Cincinnati in is the one that will keep Alabama out. Cincinnati in the SEC. Discuss.

"Alabama is not a clearcut top-4 team. Do I think they are one of the best 4? Yes" * And that's the key, same as was mentioned about 2018 Georgia above. Rankings aren't supposed to mean anything, only "best" (which can be argued is why Cincinnati is being given a shot - along with pity - since their SOS is pretty bad).

This is the correct answer. It might not be worded quite like that, but it's the correct answer.

Disregarding the A beside my username for a moment and just for the conversation: It's interesting how quickly fans were conditioned away from "the best four teams" criteria of the playoff committee and why they were formed. It's absurd to think that a one-loss no-conference Notre Dame - who should, if anything, be penalized for that - or ACC Wake Forest should be in the playoffs over a two-loss (one in the championship) Alabama when the SEC just set an FBS record of bowl eligible teams.

Coach O to Notre Dame would be fantastic.

I think it's Georgia's title to lose, especially with us being without our starting center and down to one scholarship RB. It won't bother me at all that Kirby wins the NC this year, either, because I've always liked him, he helped our program tremendously, and I'll be proud for him.