When No. 4 Florida failed to hold on to their lead at Texas A&M today the Gators suffered their first defeat of the season alth bough it wasn’t a massive upset by any means, it certainly has an affect on what the College Football Playoff is shaping up to look like.
Although it isn’t as simple as “_______’s path to the playoff just got a lot easier” it certainly got a help this afternoon.
What we learned is that the defense that failed to impress in Florida’s first two games against Ole Miss and South Carolina was a disaster, specifically as the game went on in College Station.
But Florida is still plenty talented, especially on offense to be able to win the SEC East.
What it means is that if the SEC East Champion ends the regular season with a loss, that it’s going to be incredibly difficult to see the league get two teams in the College Football Playoff.
Take this into account:
Regardless of how Tennessee/Georgia ends, one will have one loss. Both will still have Alabama on their schedules this fall which to me, appears to be the best team in the nation.
Florida also now having a loss and despite avoiding Alabama in the regular season, would still likely have to go through the Tide in the SEC Championship Game.
The SEC West being down in terms of having a second real force doesn’t allow for an epic Alabama/LSU showdown like a year ago.
What today’s loss likely does, assuming things go according to plan (which is almost never the case in college football as a whole), is very likely eliminates the SEC from getting two teams in the CFP.
That is again, assuming Alabama doesn’t lose to either Georgia or Tennessee in the regular season, something we’ll know the answer to in each of the next two weeks.
If you’re an SEC fan and want two teams in the playoff you better start rooting for chaos everywhere else. The Big 12 being a bust so far helps but there is a long row to hoe to get back on track for two.
And that is great news for literally everyone that’s a fan of a school not from the SEC.