The Southeastern Conference is down to one playoff contender.
Defending national champion and top-ranked Alabama is a lock for its third straight berth if the Crimson Tide can beat No. 15 Florida in the SEC championship game Saturday in Atlanta, and may not even need to win.
The Gators (8-3) were playoff longshots even before Saturday night’s 31-13 loss to rival Florida State but could have made a case with two huge closing wins. They emerged from a topsy-turvy SEC East to earn a title game rematch.
Nobody’s surprised that the Tide (12-0), the last unbeaten team from a Power 5 conference, is back in the Georgia Dome. ‘Bama players weren’t particularly interested in talking about their playoff prospects after Saturday’s 30-12 win over rival Auburn.
“We just worry about the next game,” linebacker Ryan Anderson said. “Teams that start worrying about the Final Four and all that, they get beat.”