SEC powers with one loss face pivotal games with playoff implications

Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee all entered the season with high hopes, if not expectations, of making the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Each has one loss, and three of the four could have two after Saturday. A Southeastern Conference team with two losses would not be out of the playoff conversation, but its margin for error would be razor thin.

No. 5 Georgia has a big opportunity at No. 1 Texas on Saturday night. A win keeps the Bulldogs in the thick of the race for a spot in the SEC championship game and cushions the blow of their loss to Alabama. A loss to the Longhorns, depending on what it looks like, would not be insurmountable with matchups against Tennessee and Mississippi among the remaining games.

No. 7 Alabama’s visit to No. 11 Tennessee does feel like an elimination game. The Crimson Tide’s loss at Vanderbilt is a big smudge on their resume, and their two-point win at home against South Carolina did not impress. Same goes for Tennessee with its loss at Arkansas and overtime win at home against Florida.

No. 8 LSU’s playoff hopes would be in peril if it doesn’t win at Arkansas. Each of the last four meetings has been decided by three points. The Tigers have rebounded from their season-opening loss to a Southern California team that’s hit hard times in the Big Ten. Like Alabama, LSU struggled to defeat South Carolina, and last week the Tigers beat Mississippi in overtime after scoring the tying touchdown with 27 seconds left in regulation.

In the Big Ten, defending national champion and 24th-ranked Michigan (4-2) can forget about a fourth straight playoff appearance if it doesn’t win at No. 22 Illinois (5-1), and we should find out how good No. 16 Indiana (6-0, 3-0) really is when it hosts Nebraska (5-1, 2-1).

Arizona State (5-1, 2-1) visits Cincinnati (4-2, 2-1) for a meeting of two of the Big 12’s surprise teams. Their game is the conference’s co-main event with No. 17 Kansas State (5-1, 2-1) at West Virginia (3-3, 2-1).

Two key games in the Atlantic Coast Conference have No. 6 Miami (6-0, 2-0) at Louisville (4-2, 2-1) and Virginia (4-2, 2-1) at No. 10 Clemson (5-1, 4-0).