Greg McElroy explains why head-to-head matchups could leave SEC on outside of CFP Top 4

Greg McElroy is of the belief that the value of head-to-head victories could leave the SEC out of the College Football Playoff.

Some, such as Desmond Howard, have theorized Georgia could be in the College Football Playoff no matter what, even if the Bulldogs lose to Alabama on Saturday. However, McElroy pushed back against that during an appearance on Get Up on Friday, explaining that a Crimson Tide victory could actually leave the SEC on the outside looking in, due to their loss to Texas earlier in the season.

“That’s a ludicrous thought,” McElroy said, regarding Georgia getting in over Alabama no matter what. “The committee over the last four weeks … since Halloween, Texas has been in front of Alabama. They’ve been seven, Bama’s been eight. … The committee has already shown us that head-to-head matters. So in the event which Bama beats Georgia, Bama will likely be ahead of Georgia in the final rankings the committee gives us. Now, is Alabama four, is Alabama five? That’s what we need to find out. It’s really different this year, because people have tried to cite recent history.

“This is the first time that we could potentially have drama on selection day since 2018. So we haven’t had anything quite like this in awhile. That year was Oklahoma against Ohio State. This year, it might be Texas against Alabama against Oregon against an undefeated Florida State. So it’s the first time in a while that we’ve had drama. So yeah, I think it’s a real possibility that Bama and Georgia could be left out of the College Football Playoff.”

Alas, McElroy’s comments from Friday echo what he said earlier in the week, where he stated his belief that the Crimson Tide are certainly not in control of their own destiny.

“Alabama is not in control of their own destiny regardless of what they do,” McElroy, a former Alabama quarterback, said. “And that’s a really uncomfortable thought. And frankly, there is a possibility — and we talked about this too — there is a possibility that the SEC could get left out because of the amount of quality that is in other leagues. 

“There is a really wide-open race right now for those four playoff spots and you can make a compelling argument on behalf of eight teams. That includes ‘Bama. That includes Texas, and Ohio State, to be honest with you, even though they would probably have the eighth weakest argument to be made. … “Not this many teams that have been tested and have been quality and have been playing at a high level.”

Regardless, there’s a ton of moving parts, but it all starts with Alabama beating Georgia during Saturday’s SEC title game.