As you sports fans know, the only truly important thing on the route to a national championship is to finish among the top four in the committee rankings. It makes little difference, therefore, whether a team is #1 or #2, but it is absolutely critical whether they are #4 or #5.
At this point, the writers and coaches are saying that Alabama is #4, but the committee awards that crucial spot to Georgia.
That will probably come out in the wash. If Georgia runs the table, the Bulldogs will play in the SEC championship as a one-loss team. If they win that game, they will clearly stay in the playoff picture because that hypothetical win would presumably come against the nation’s #1 team! If they lose, it will be their second loss and will accordingly drop them from the top four. Frankly, they will have their hands full running the table. They still must go on the road to beat #12 Auburn, and then must handle a tough Aggie squad.
And it should be remembered that Minnesota and Baylor are still lurking on the charts with undefeated records, awaiting opportunities to shine, or for the leaders to falter.