Greg Sankey Lobbies for 2 SEC Teams in CFP: '1 of These Things Is Not Like the Other' | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Andrew Mccoy In the event that No. 8 Alabama beats No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey believes the conference deserves to have two teams in the College Football Playoff.
During an appearance on ESPN College GameDay, Sankey noted that five of the top 15 teams in the nation play in the SEC, and quipped, "One of these things is not like the other," when comparing the SEC to other conferences:
College GameDay @CollegeGameDay"Let's go back to like Sesame Street ... one of these things is not like the other, and that's the Southeastern Conference."<br><br>SEC commissioner Greg Sankey on teams competing with Georgia and Alabama for CFP spots 👀<a href="">#CollegeGameDay</a> <a href="">
Entering the SEC title game, the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs are a perfect 12-0, while the Alabama Crimson Tide are 11-1 and have won 10 games in a row since a Week 2 loss to Texas.
A Georgia win on Saturday will eliminate Alabama from CFP contention, but if Bama pulls off the upset, both the Tide and Bulldogs will be one-loss teams in the most competitive conference in the nation.
The issue for both Georgia and Alabama in that scenario is that Washington is already an undefeated Pac-12 champion, Michigan will be an undefeated Big Ten champion with a win over Iowa and Florida State will be an undefeated ACC champ if it takes down Louisville.
Additionally, Texas is 11-1, and if it beats Oklahoma State, it will be a 12-1 Big 12 champion. Given that Texas beat Alabama, it would seemingly be impossible for the CFP committee to put the Tide above the Longhorns as long as Texas wins Saturday.
That means even if Alabama beats Georgia, it may need help from at least one other team to reach the CFP.
However, if Georgia wins, it will be a lock, and Texas is likely the team that will need help to make it into the College Football Playoff.
To Sankey's point, the SEC has enjoyed unprecedented success during the CFP era, winning six national titles since 2014, including each of the past four between LSU, Alabama and Georgia.
The SEC has never failed to send at least one team to the CFP, and it has sent multiple teams in a season on two occasions.
There is little doubt that both Georgia and Alabama have the talented needed to vie for a national title if one or both of them make the CFP.
Georgia has just one loss over the past three seasons, and Alabama has come into its own thanks to the development of quarterback Jalen Milroe after a rocky start to the year.
Based on how things are taking shape around them, though, an Alabama win in the SEC Championship Game could prove to be the worst thing for the SEC as a whole.