What does Alabama loss to Oklahoma mean for SEC championship game, College Football Playoff?

Alabama lost to Oklahoma in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, ending a nation-best 17-game home winning streak.

But one thing is for certain after Alabama's record dropped to 8-2: all of the Tide's goals are still attainable.

Alabama can still make the SEC championship game and win an SEC title. Alabama can still make the College Football Playoff and win a national championship.

It's just a little more complicated, now.

Alabama will host FCS opponent Eastern Illinois next Saturday and then end its regular season at Auburn on November 29. Assuming Alabama avoids catastrophe against Eastern Illinois, it sets up an Iron Bowl in which Alabama likely will need to win to make the College Football Playoff.

Could an Alabama team with three losses to Florida State, Oklahoma and Auburn still crack the 12-team field? It's possible, but it would require some help elsewhere. Alabama would need to root against teams like Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Miami and the winner of Oregon vs. USC.

If Alabama defeats Auburn in the Iron Bowl, does the Tide make the SEC championship game? Most likely, but it's not guaranteed. Alabama could still lose a three-way tie for second place in the SEC with Georgia and Ole Miss, based on conference opponent winning percentage.

One scenario that would result in Alabama missing the SEC title game would involve Florida and Kentucky winning next week, which would give Georgia and Ole Miss an edge in a three-way tiebreaker with Alabama based on conference opponents' winning percentage. Some of the possible scenarios can be simulated on this unofficial website.

If Alabama beats Auburn but misses the SEC championship game, it would await its placement in the CFP as a 10-2, at-large team. In all likelihood, that would result in Alabama playing a first-round playoff game either at home or on the road on December 19 or 20.

If Alabama beats Auburn and makes the SEC championship game, its opponent in Atlanta is still undetermined but would likely be Texas A&M or Georgia.

Winning the SEC championship game should virtually guarantee Alabama a top-four seed and first-round bye in the playoff.

Losing the SEC championship game after a win over Auburn would set up another intriguing scenario: Alabama as a 10-3 team that lost its conference title game. The CFP selection committee was forgiving last year to teams that lost their title games – including SMU, which made the playoff over Alabama after losing to Clemson in the ACC championship game. But the wider the margin of defeat for Alabama, the more their playoff chances would be called into question.

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