“What-if” season has reached its peak.

The top 4 teams stayed the same in the 5th version of the College Football Playoff rankings, released Tuesday night.

There won’t be any drama when the final field is revealed Sunday, either, if Georgia upsets LSU, and Clemson and Ohio State win their respective titles. This week’s top 4 will be the Final Four, albeit in a different order.

That’s the committee’s dream scenario. Sorting out No. 1 vs. No. 2 is a whole lot easier than picking among 3 or 4 teams for the final spot.

But footballs aren’t round. What if we get a few crazy, unexpected bounces during championship weekend?

Here are 4 Playoff nightmare scenarios the committee doesn’t want any part of when they meet for the final time this weekend.

1. Wisconsin beats Ohio State

Could the Big Ten be left out of the Playoff for the 3rd consecutive year?

Call me a skeptic, but there’s a reason Wisconsin jumped up to No. 8 — despite losing to Illinois (6-6) earlier this season and by 31 already to Ohio State. (Somehow, that’s better than Alabama losing to No. 2 LSU by 5 and Auburn by 3? That’s hysterical.)

My guess? Artificial drama meant to pad Ohio State’s résumé. Losing to the No. 8 team certainly is better than losing to a team outside the top 10, where Wisconsin honestly belongs.

So, it seems unlikely that the B1G could be shut out again, but if Georgia beats LSU and Clemson wins, you’d potentially have these 3 teams battling for the final spot:

  • 1-loss Big 12 champion (Oklahoma or Baylor, either of which would have another top 7 win — something Ohio State doesn’t have)
  • 1-loss Pac-12 champion Utah (only loss was by 1 score)
  • 1-loss Ohio State, which didn’t play a Power 5 team outside of the Big Ten and didn’t beat a team ranked higher than 8 at kickoff

2. Georgia blows out LSU and injures Joe Burrow in the process

It’s widely assumed that LSU is safe, no matter what happens Saturday in Atlanta.

But what if Joe Burrow decides to take on another linebacker early in the 1st quarter and doesn’t get up. What if D’Andre Swift goes off for 200 yards and 3 TDs and Georgia’s defense suffocates Myles Brennan the rest of the way. What if Georgia plays like it did in 2017 and beats the West champ by 3 scores?

Nobody is rooting for anybody to be injured. But if you’re imagining nightmare scenarios, that has to be at the top of LSU’s list.

Would a significant injury to Burrow coupled with a loss alter the committee’s view of LSU enough to knock them out of the field?

3. What if Clemson, Ohio State and LSU all lose?

Georgia would be in.

Then the committee would pick 3 among:

  • A 1-loss Big 12 champion (Oklahoma or Baylor)
  • Potentially 1-loss Pac-12 champion Utah
  • 12-1 Ohio State
  • 12-1 Clemson
  • 12-1 LSU

Clemson would have the worst loss among the contenders. But is 1 loss enough to knock out the reigning national champion?

Ohio State would have the next-worst loss — and didn’t play a Power 5 team in nonconference play.

Baylor or Oklahoma would have the best win, as both are in the top 7 of the Playoff rankings.

Utah’s lone loss was by 1 score to a USC team that has improved.

4. Only Georgia loses …

Ohio State, LSU and Clemson are in. Georgia is out.

It’s probably the most common scenario for us, but it’s still a nightmare scenario for the committee, which must decide between:

  • 1-loss Big 12 champion (Oklahoma or Baylor)
  • Potentially 1-loss Pac-12 champion Utah