College Football Playoff: What Happens If Georgia Wins & LSU Loses?

Getty Georgia can make the College Football Playoff with a win over LSU.

Georgia has an opportunity to play spoiler in the College Football Playoff with a win over LSU, creating a bit of chaos for the committee. If LSU loses in the SEC Championship, both the Tigers and Bulldogs are likely to make the College Football Playoff.

Utah’s loss in the Pac-12 Championship made the playoff picture fairly simple for college football fans. An LSU win will likely send Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff thanks to their overtime win over Baylor in the Big 12 title game. Heading into the conference championship games, only three teams remain undefeated: LSU, Ohio State and Clemson.

Unless LSU is blown out by Georgia, they are unlikely to fall out of the top four in the rankings even with a loss to the Bulldogs. Clemson and Ohio State are also likely to punch their ticket to the playoff even with losses in their conference title games.

Georgia or Oklahoma Are the Favorites to Be the Final College Football Playoff Team

Georgia has the worst loss of any College Football Playoff contender after South Carolina upset the Bulldogs earlier this season. Yet, the committee still kept Georgia in contention in the weekly rankings. Georgia already has wins over Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Florida. A win over LSU would be, by far, Georgia’s most impressive win this season.

LSU downplayed the idea that the SEC Championship is somehow unimportant to the Tigers given their current playoff standing. After a lengthy hiatus from the SEC Championship, the LSU head coach Ed Orgeron noted the team wanted to leave no doubt about their postseason status.

“I ain’t even thinking about that,” Orgeron said, per Saturday Down South. “I don’t buy that. We’ve got to win. That’s not coming into play. Not even considering that.”

So far, things have fallen in place for Oklahoma exactly as they wanted. Oregon upset Utah on Friday night to remove the Pac-12 from contention for a playoff spot. The Sooners then did their part by squeaking out a victory over Baylor. All this likely would not matter if Georgia is able to pull off an upset over LSU. Clemson, Ohio State, LSU and Georgia would be the four teams expected to make the College Football Playoff in this scenario.

LSU, Ohio State & Clemson Are Battling for the No. 1 Seed in the College Football Playoff

LSU and Ohio State are the favorites to be the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. The rankings are not insignificant as Clemson is perceived to be a much better team than Oklahoma. If things play out as expected, Clemson would be the No. 3 seed which means the No. 2 seed would have to play the Tigers in the semifinal game.

Clemson also has a chance at the No. 1 seed but likely needs LSU and Ohio State to both lose in their conference title games. Clemson headed into championship weekend as the No. 3 seed. A win over Virginia would not be as impressive as victories over Georgia or Wisconsin. This is why the Tigers need a little help to have a chance at the top seed. The good news for Clemson is they are likely in the College Football Playoff even with a loss to Virginia.