What Georgia Game Means for Alabama's CFP Chances: Just a Minute

Looking at how a win or loss against the Bulldogs would affect the Crimson Tide's College Football Playoff resumé.

Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Germie Bernard (5) score a touchdown during the first quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Welcome to BamaCentral’s "Just a Minute," a daily video series featuring BamaCentral's Alabama beat writers. Multiple times a week, the writers will group up or film solo to provide their take on a topic concerning the Crimson Tide or the landscape of college sports.

Watch the above video as Alabama Crimson Tide on SI assistant editor Katie Windham discusses how Saturday's result against Georgia will affect Alabama's chances at reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time under head coach Kalen DeBoer.

No. 17 Alabama and No. 5 Georgia are playing in one of the premier matchups in college football this weekend. This season's game isn't quite as hyped last year's top-five matchup, but it still has some big implications. Will a loss directly keep the Crimson Tide out of the College Football Playoff? I don't think so.

Losing the season opener at Florida State lessened Alabama's margin for error moving throughout the rest of the season but this is still just the Crimson Tide's first SEC game. Even if Alabama loses in Athens on Saturday, it does not eliminate the Tide from the playoff picture. Technically, the team could still get an automatic bid as the SEC champion or possibly even still an at-large spot. Do I think it's likely they win the SEC championship if they lose to Bulldogs? Probably not.

However, if Alabama pulls off the upset, it puts a great win on the Crimson Tide's playoff resume, similar to last season. Even after bad losses at Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, Alabama was still being heavily considered for an at-large spot with a 9-3 record, in part because of its win over Georgia early in the season.

A win over Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs would give Kalen DeBoer and the Tide a little breathing room and slightly widen back up the margin for error. Looking at the rankings and location, Georgia is likely the hardest game left on the schedule, but every game from here on out (except for Eastern Illinois) is losable and has difficult elements to it.

Alabama was basically one spot away from making the CFP in DeBoer's first season. With the expanded 12-team field, the expectations at a place like Alabama are to be in the playoff every year. Picking up a win over the Bulldogs would be a huge step in the that path back to the playoffs for the Crimson Tide.