In the 5 years of this new College Football Playoff format, people on the selection committee have always said that the most important thing they are asked to do is to pick the four best teams in the country.

The four best. That’s the goal.

And if that’s the goal in 2018, then Georgia deserves a spot in the final four Sunday. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 4 this week and what they proved Saturday in the SEC Championship Game is that they are just as good as Alabama, the No. 1 team in the country that is being hailed as a once-in-a-generation behemoth.

The fact that Alabama won 35-28 certainly hurts Georgia, which now has 2 losses, but it also shows how good the Dawgs are, and how close to No. 1 they can be. They’re that good, and they deserve a spot in the Playoff. They deserve a chance to play for a national championship.

Even Alabama coach Nick Saban agrees with me.

“I think based on what I’ve seen, they are one of the four best teams in the country,” Saban said Saturday night.  “I also said earlier that I don’t want to play them again, which is the best compliment I can give them. They are a very good team, very well coached with very good players.”

And, of course, Georgia coach Kirby Smart agrees with Saban.

“I promise you he (Nick Saban) doesn’t want to play us,” Smart said.

Even though it should happen, it seems unlikely right now that Georgia will be able to hold on to that No. 4 spot. Despite showing up and showing out Saturday, there are too many things working against them.

Such as:

Not being a conference champion: This matters to the committee — and it should, by the way — but there have been teams that got in without winning the conference, most notably Ohio State in 2016 and Alabama a year ago. This is different, though. Those two teams had legitimate arguments to be included, and they were. Georgia’s not in the same exact circumstance. That’s because …

Not having the best resume: If Alabama had been Georgia’s only loss, then we’re not even having this conversation. They’d be in for sure. But the LSU loss, and how it happened, will definitely hurt the Bulldogs with this committee. LSU wound up losing 3 games. Unbeatens Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame are all in for sure, because they have better resumes. It’s about the others — Oklahoma and Ohio State — for that fourth spot. They have better resumes. Slightly. That’s because …

Having 2 losses: Oklahoma has 1 loss, and the Sooners avenged that Saturday when they beat Texas in the Big 12 title game. They have, in essence, beaten everyone on their schedule. If the committee picks Oklahoma instead of Georgia, there’s not a lot to holler about. Ohio State is a little different, because it has that one ugly loss, a 29-point beatdown to 6-loss Purdue. I would argue more if they got in, but it’s not the same discussion as Alabama-Ohio State last year, because the Buckeyes had 2 losses then as Big Ten champs, including a bad loss to Iowa. This year, 12-1 and a conference title means something more for Ohio State. Both will probably finish ahead of Georgia in the final rankings.

Not really having signature wins: Georgia has only two wins against teams in this week’s AP Top 25, Florida (No. 11) and Kentucky (No. 16).  Both of those  teams have 3 losses. And Georgia’s nonconference schedule (Austin Peay, Middle Tennessee, UMass and Georgia Tech) doesn’t give them any bonus points.

But here’s the big difference when you’re trying to narrow the list to four. There are these on-paper resumes and then there is the eye test.

Would Georgia beat Oklahoma on a neutral field right now? I sure think so, though it would probably be a lot like last year’s Playoff thriller.

Would Georgia beat Ohio State? Absolutely. The Bulldogs would run wild on that loose Ohio State defense. Georgia ran for 153 yards Saturday against Alabama’s great defense. Double that against Ohio State.

So that’s what the committee has to decide. Can they get past Georgia’s 2 losses? Can they get past not being a conference champ or having holes in their resume?

Can they do the eye test and picture what would happen if Georgia played either team? My guess to that is no, that they’ll leave Georgia out, for all those reasons.

But that doesn’t make it right.