It’s playoff time in College Football, will Georgia or Alabama, the dominant forces of the past decade, represent the Southeastern Conference (SEC), or will the rising powers out of Texas and Tennessee take the throne?
The new College Football Playoff format is being implemented this season. The change introduces 8 more teams to the table, expanding from the past format of 4 to 12 teams. Fans across the country are thrilled with the new format and are anticipating how the rankings will play out, with the possibility of having four SEC teams competing for the National title.
As of November 4, eight teams of the SEC are ranked in the AP Top 25 poll. Georgia leads the pack at number (2) while Texas falls right behind them at number (5). The rest include Tennesee (7), Alabama (12), LSU (14), Texas A&M (15), Ole Miss (16), Vanderbilt (24).
A decade of dominance by Georgia and Alabama has left little room to break through, which ultimately set the table for rivalries among top programs in the SEC for national championships. Over the last ten years, Georgia and Alabama have combined for nine SEC championships and five national titles.
Despite this success, Alabama (12) has fallen out of the top 10 for the first time in fourteen years this season. They suffered losses to Tennessee (7) and Vanderbilt (24), which they have a record of 63-19-4 against, and haven’t lost to the Commodores in over forty years dating back to 1984.
Alabama entered this season with high hopes in first-year Head Coach Kalen Deboer, who recently led Washington to the national title game the season prior. Regardless of an underestimated start, many believe the Crimson Tide can pull things together and make a push for another national title. Quarterback Jalen Milroe, who returned for his senior season has been nothing short of phenomenal for the Crimson Tide. Milroe looks to write his own story as one of the best to do it in white and maroon.
On the other hand, it almost seems that Georgia (2) is just getting started. Winning back-to-back titles in ‘21 and ‘22, the Bulldogs are on pace to finish top 5 in the rankings which they have accomplished in the last five out of seven seasons. The roster remains loaded with veteran talent, returning sixteen total starters, which is essential to another title push under head coach Kirby Smart.
The new guys on the block have arrived and won’t be leaving anytime soon. The Texas Longhorns (5), led by Steve Sarkisian, have risen to be a top team in the SEC after many years of desperation. After a devastating loss to Washington in the semi-finals of the playoffs last season, the Longhorns were able to return fifteen total starters with four of them coming from the Offensive line. Longhorn Nation hopes an experienced group of talented men will be able to get the university over the hump and bring a national title to Austin for the first time since 2005.
Heading over to the “Rocky Top” of Tennessee, the Volunteers, led by head coach Josh Heupel, have found themselves ranked seventh in the country more than halfway through the season. Many didn’t see the hype going into the season, but this Tennessee team has earned every bit of it with wins over Alabama (12), Florida, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The Volunteers will take on Mississippi State, Georgia (2), UTEP, and Vanderbilt (24) to close out the season. This is the ultimate test for Tennessee where they’ll need to keep their momentum moving forward against challenging opponents. The Volunteers need to continue to show resilience and adaptability, which is going to be a crucial part of making a run for the national title.
The expanded College Football Playoff sets the stage for a dramatic SEC showdown. Georgia’s dominance and experienced roster certainly make them the team to beat, but rising stars like Tennessee and Texas bring competition like no other. While Alabama has struggled occasionally this season, the Crimson Tide are still a dangerous team to play against with all of the talent they have across the board. Ultimately Georgia seems to be in the best position to represent the SEC in the playoffs and claim another national title to their name, but in this new format, anything can happen.