We’re a few weeks away from playing the ‘what if’ game considering there’s still much to be sorted out in the Western Division, but there’s at least a chance a two-loss SEC champion does not make the College Football Playoff.

Commence widespread panic around the South.

The SEC needs a clear-cut titan and at the moment, that appears to be unbeaten No. 1 Mississippi State, a team that’s conquered three Top 10 teams this season with a provocative Heisman frontrunner at quarterback.

RELATED: Mississippi St. No. 1 in first Playoff poll

Like its Magnolia State rival however, the Bulldogs could soon suffer a hard fall from grace due to the West’s cannibalistic tendency this season. Mississippi State still has road games at Alabama and Ole Miss, a pair of Top 10 teams fighting in their own right for a spot in Atlanta.

And Georgia, the runaway favorite in the East, must beat Auburn in Athens on Nov. 15 to avoid its second loss.

Let’s look at what could go wrong for the SEC in the event of a two-loss league champion:

  • Florida State remains unbeaten, wins ACC Championship Game
  • Oregon wins out, boosts resume with two victories over ranked teams (Utah AND Arizona/Arizona St. in Pac-12 final)
  • Michigan State finishes 12-1, including wins over No. 13 Ohio State + nationally-ranked Nebraska (Big Ten title game)
  • TCU wins out which gives the Horned Frogs five wins over ranked teams and only loss at No. 5 Baylor

Would the selection committee deem Power 5 strength of schedule more important than overall record and how teams finish? In the BCS system, the computers placed a heavy emphasis on late-season momentum and all four of the teams mentioned above would be on long winning streaks entering the postseason.

Florida State has the easiest road to the Playoff of any remaining non-SEC contender and will be a double-digit favorite the rest of the way if the Seminoles beat Louisville on Thursday night.

We can project a one-loss SEC champion will indeed reach the Playoff as the last team standing in college football’s toughest league, but a two-loss victor would make the committee’s four-team decision increasingly difficult if there’s three other Power 5 conference champs — and unbeaten ACC champ Florida State — with better records.

The worst case scenario for the SEC is that Mississippi State, Alabama, Ole Miss and Georgia (league champion) all finish with two losses.

The SEC could then be squeezed out of the Playoff by the committee.