The third rendition of the College Football Playoff rankings are set to be unveiled tonight and all eyes will be on where the top SEC programs fall. Six different teams have the chance to finish the season with two losses this season. With how other conferences have unfolded, the SEC will see at least one -- or potentially two -- of those teams get omitted from the final field of 12.
Assuming all things hold serve, is it more of a disadvantage to play in an SEC Championship Game and risk picking up a third loss? The Steakhouse played a portion of Lane Kiffin's Monday press conference where he discussed the disadvantage that a team would be at if they played in and lost that game.
"I've talked to other coaches... [and] they don't want to be in it." Kiffin said about playing in the SEC Championship. "The reward to get a bye versus to get knocked out completely. That's a really big risk."
Mike Griffith from Dawgnation, speaking on behalf of the Georgia Bulldogs, tends to agree.
"Is the juice worth the squeeze?" He rhetorically asked The Steakhouse on Tuesday morning. "And you could understand it if Georgia were to take the tack that with all these injuries, all this attrition, and two losses, and the [College Football Playoff] committee putting more emphasis on losses than wins, why risk it?"
The eventual SEC Champion would be afforded a first-round bye, but wouldn't the eventual runner-up rather play a home playoff game instead of risking a loss in the SEC title game and possible elimination?
Sandra countered, "You guys are assuming that they're going to be at home because this last list here that Heather [Dinich from ESPN] has [Georgia] as the 11-seed. She has Ole Miss ahead of them and Alabama ahead of them, so that means you're on the road, y'all!"
There is still plenty of football left to be played this season, but the final stretch could make for quite the controversial finish.