Texas over Alabama in CFP? SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey quotes 'Dumb and Dumber'
The four College Football Playoff spots are still up for grabs, with Texas having an outside shot at making the field if it wins the Big 12 championship game and certain scenarios swing its way the next two days.
One outcome would involve Alabama beating Georgia in the SEC championship game and Texas making it in over Alabama due to the Longhorns' 34-24 win over the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa earlier in the season. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey compared the idea of no SEC team making the playoff to Lloyd Christmas' famous interaction with Mary Swanson in the hit 1990s comedy "Dumb and Dumber."
"I'd say, more like one out of a million."
"So you're telling me there's a chance."
In this scenario, Texas is Lloyd while the committee is Mary.
"People who know and understand football don't have a doubt about our status. You can look this year. Sure we lost some nonconference games but this is not a week evaluation, this is a season evaluation," Sankey said on the Pat McAfee show.
The committee's protocol has head-to-head matchups as one of the tiebreakers for deciding who makes the playoff. In Sankey's explanation, it seems he believes that Texas' Week 2 win would be inconsequential considering Alabama would've beaten the No. 1 team in the nation, Georgia, to claim the SEC title.
"People who know and understand football don't have a doubt about our status in the College Football Playoff..
There's a lot on the line tomorrow and the SEC deserves at least one team in the College Football Playoff" ~ @GregSankey #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/9kYDPDh5M2— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 1, 2023
An SEC team has never missed the playoff. The only time an SEC team didn't make the CFP national championship game was in 2014, when Alabama lost to Ohio State in the semifinals.
Regardless, a one-loss conference champion not making the playoff would be a nightmare scenario for the committee. To avoid this, Texas would win on Saturday and Florida State, down to its third-string quarterback, would lose to Louisville, opening up a spot for the Longhorns to slide in.
More: If Texas football doesn't make CFP, look for an old Big 12 matchup in Cotton Bowl | Source
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Greg Sankey quotes 'Dumb and Dumber' in Texas vs. Alabama CFP scenario
