Playoff an easy choice for now

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (13) throws a pass against Texas A&M during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Put the opportunity for Arkansas to break through in the SEC on the back burner long enough to muse about three unbeatens on track to make College Football Playoff history of one sort or another.

Never have two teams with unblemished records been part of the same playoff and never has the loser of a conference championship game been selected. Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame are eligible for the first scenario, and the Crimson Tide are uniquely qualified for the second.

Barring a major upset this weekend, those teams will be 1-2-3 when the CFP Selection Committee — including first-time committee member and former Arkansas coach Ken Hatfield — announces its initial rankings Tuesday evening. Alabama, idle this week, and Clemson, more than a two-touchdown favorite over Florida State, have been 1-2 in the championship odds for months.

Heavily favored against Navy, Notre Dame was 40-1 to win the national championship in late August, but is now the third choice at 6.5-to-1.

Any and all of the three that run the table will play in the Final Four on Dec. 29, but since the CFP began after the 2014 season, only three of the 16 teams have been unbeaten.

That said, both Alabama and Clemson appear headed for 13-0. Both have dynamic young quarterbacks surrounded by touchdown makers, but the quality and quantity of athletes on defense sets them apart. In one NFL mock draft, four Clemson defensive linemen are among the first 50 players selected and defensive talent at Alabama is a given under Nick Saban.

Losing in Atlanta in December, a 12-1 Alabama could still make the playoff. Suppose the Crimson Tide cruise through the regular season, racking up 50-plus points per week against SEC opposition, and somehow narrowly loses to Georgia. In that case, no way committee members exclude Alabama.

Schedules for the unbeatens:

—Alabama: LSU, Mississippi State, The Citadel, Auburn, SEC Championship Game. Next week, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa might be needed in the fourth quarter for the first time, but LSU’s Joe Burrow is no Tagovailoa and defense only goes so far against a plethora of weapons.

—Clemson: Florida State, Louisville, Boston College, Duke, South Carolina, ACC Championship Game. Clemson has won five games by 34 points or more, but was hard pressed to defeat Texas A&M and Syracuse.

—Notre Dame: Navy, Northwestern, Florida Sate, Syracuse, Southern Cal. Defeating Ball State, Vanderbilt, and Pittsburgh by eight points or less, Notre Dame has not been nearly as dominant as Alabama or Clemson, and all of the Fighting Irish’s last four opponents have winning records. Beating Michigan by seven in the season opener highlights the resume.

One spot in the playoff is available, thanks to Purdue 49, Ohio State 20. In 2016, Ohio State lost to eventual Big Ten champion Penn State 24-21, but committee members were convinced the Buckeyes were better and picked them over the Nittany Lions. Giving up four TDs of 40 yards or more in the fourth quarter last week, the Buckeyes were embarrassed beyond redemption.

Although LSU, Michigan, Georgia and Texas will be ranked ahead of Oklahoma, OU is positioned to make the playoff.

Alabama should eliminate LSU and probably Georgia, while Michigan must sweep Penn State, Ohio State and the other division champion to qualify. Meanwhile, if both OU and Texas win out, the Sooners would have a second chance against the Longhorns in the contrived Big 12 Championship Game. Three weeks ago, OU committed three turnovers and trailed the Longhorns by 21 after three quarters before losing 48-45 on a field goal with nine seconds to play.

With an OU victory, committee members could conclude the Sooners are better than Texas.

As for Arkansas’ chances Saturday, the pass defense will be more of a factor than last week when Tulsa’s freshman quarterback Seth Boomer was sacked six times, missed open receivers and completed only two passes in the first half.

Boomer is still learning. On the other hand, Vanderbilt’s Kyle Shurmur has attempted more than 1,100 passes in his career and has thrown for almost 7,600 yards.