LSU football can make Rece Davis' head explode by beating Georgia, passing Tennessee | Opinion
Rece Davis and David Pollack engaged in a borderline contentious disagreement on ESPN’s television set, and I don’t blame them, because a college football rankings show without debate is just a televised list.
The talking heads considered Tuesday what the College Football Playoff selection committee might do if it must choose between No. 5 Tennessee (9-1, 5-1 SEC) and No. 6 LSU (8-2, 6-1) for the final playoff spot if the Tigers upset No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship game on Dec. 3.
For Davis, Tennessee’s 40-13 Oct. 8 win at LSU would trump LSU’s conference championship and its wins against Georgia and Alabama. The Vols also beat Alabama.
"LSU can get in – but not before Tennessee. … (The Vols) beat them senseless on their home field," Davis said.
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And yet, if LSU runs the table, its résumé would include a conference championship, the nation’s best victory (beating Georgia), and a win against top-10 Alabama.
Pollack doesn't buy that the committee should take two SEC teams, Georgia and Tennessee, but not an 11-win SEC champion, which would have just defeated the nation’s No. 1 team.
"If LSU is an SEC champion and beats Georgia, which Tennessee wasn’t able to do, … you’re saying that doesn’t change your mind?" Pollack pressed Davis.
Davis looked as if his head might explode at the insinuation that the committee would select LSU over the Vols, in spite of their head-to-head result.
Brace yourself, Davis, because I think that’s exactly what would happen.
The committee clearly loves LSU’s résumé, even before the SEC Championship. Toss in a neutral-site victory against the nation’s top-ranked team, and I think the committee would be swayed.
Davis’ head-to-head argument runs into a wall for this reason: If the Tigers win the SEC Championship, then Georgia, LSU and Tennessee each would have a 1-1 record in the round-robin triangle of these teams.
In Davis’ perspective, Tennessee beat LSU, so how could the Tigers be in over the Vols?
Well, Georgia beat Tennessee, so how could UT be in over the Bulldogs?
Well, LSU, in this scenario we're considering, would have a win against Georgia, so how could the Bulldogs be in over the Tigers?
LSU would be the only two-loss team among this trio, but it also would be the only conference champion in the group. And the committee favors conference champions.
See the problem?
That’s why LSU beating Georgia is the committee’s nightmare scenario. The committee could have three SEC teams for two spots, with no undebatable solution.
Well, hold up, maybe a solution exists.
Step 1: No. 7 Southern Cal (9-1) loses another game, leaving the Pac-12 with a two-loss champion.
Step 2: No. 4 TCU (10-0) loses.
Step 3: No. 2 Ohio State beats No. 3 Michigan.
Voila!
Georgia, Tennessee and LSU each can make the playoff then, alongside the Buckeyes. Davis and Pollack can breathe more easily, while fans outside the SEC’s footprint fume.
Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the Paste BN Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.