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| AP Photo |
ATLANTA (AP) — After handing Georgia its first loss in nearly two years, Alabama mixed a raucous celebration of its latest Southeastern Conference championship with a whole lot of lobbying for a College Football Playoff spot that no one could've envisioned in September.
Jalen Milroe, the quarterback who epitomizes the Crimson Tide's remarkable turnaround from an early-season loss to Texas, posed a pointed question to the committee that will decide who's in — and who's out.
“Georgia is number one, right?” said Milroe, who was picked as MVP of a 27-24 victory Saturday that snapped the top-ranked Bulldogs' 29-game winning streak. “We just beat the number one team. What do you consider us?”
Alabama would have to make a big leap from No. 8 in both the AP poll and the most recent CFP rankings — and perhaps leapfrog the No. 7 Texas team that beat it 34-24 in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 9 — to claim a spot in the four-team playoff that will be announced Sunday.
Another big question: Is Georgia’s bid for a third straight national title over?
Coach Kirby Smart bristled at the notion that his team — with two straight national titles on its resume — squandered a shot at becoming the first team in the AP poll era to win three championships in a row.
“It’s the best four teams,” Smart said. “So if you go tell me somebody sitting in that committee room doesn’t think that Georgia team is one of the best four teams, I don’t know if they’re in the right profession because we're a really good football team.”
