Alabama stays No. 8 in the College Football Playoff standings with one game left. A win over Georgia in the SEC championship might increase Alabama's rating, but conference championship shocks may be needed.
Alabama will face top-ranked Georgia in Atlanta on Saturday. Alabama may make the Playoffs with a dominant win over the Bulldogs, but the committee may not choose Alabama over Texas, which defeated them in Week 2, or Oregon.
Alabama supporters can expect a better effort than in the Iron Bowl with so much at stake. The Tide must play like it to beat the No. 1 squad.
The final College Football Playoff rankings will be released a day after conference championships. Alabama football's conference championship preparation will be covered by Roll Tide Wire.
The four-team College Football Playoff has the most competitive field and most important championship weekend in its 10-year existence.
The penultimate CFP rankings came out Tuesday. Georgia stayed #1. Michigan moved up to second after defeating Ohio State. Washington was third, then Florida State. Oregon remained fifth, Ohio State fell to sixth, Texas seventh, Alabama eighth.
Which teams are CFP candidates coming into championship weekend is subjective. A Power Five club with one defeat heading into the conference title games, whether playing or not, is usually alive.
Two-loss teams have never made the CFP, but they were in contention for conference titles at least twice. Auburn 2017 is the most evident.