Did the expanded College Football Playoff shrink the stakes of Alabama-Georgia? Think again

Heading into Saturday's Alabama – Georgia heavyweight fight, there was a weird narrative going around that the game didn't really matter. Because both teams could make the new 12-team College Football Playoff regardless of the outcome, there was much less at stake. The topic gained enough traction that it was referenced on ESPN's "College GameDay" and during the game broadcast itself.

But leave it to college football to remind us that it's the games that make us love this sport, not their ramifications for the postseason, especially when it's months away.

When Georgia roared into the lead with a 67-yard touchdown to overcome a 28-0 deficit, ABC cameras cut to a Alabama fan seemingly bawling her eyes out. I guess no one told her the game didn't have stakes.

When Alabama responded one play later with a 75-yard touchdown catch by Ryan Williams and Bryant-Denny Stadium exploded, why didn't the fans realize the game didn't really matter all that much?

Of course it mattered. Every Saturday, when teams suit up and fans file into a stadium, all that matters is what happens in those four hours. Those feelings, those reactions, those unbelievable plays are what college football is about. It's what we live for. Alabama-Georgia reminded us of that once again. It's the best regular season in sports. It always has been, and the expanded Playoff didn't diminish those feelings one bit on Saturday night.

Thinking about the postseason in September is no way to go about being a college football fan. For almost the entirety of college football history, the national title has been of secondary importance. It's why the sport has had so many split or contested titles. Only in the modern era has the focus changed. And yes, because ESPN shells out billions of dollars to broadcast the postseason, it's going to talk about it a lot. Even in September.

But it's also flat-out incorrect that Saturday's game didn't have stakes. After the game, I saw a lot of social media posts from people saying they couldn't wait to see Alabama and Georgia play once or twice more, implying they will play in the SEC championship game.

That's far from a given. For one, there are no divisions in power conferences anymore. You have to finish in first or second place in a league to play in the conference championship game. There isn't an SEC East for Georgia to win. Second, the Bulldogs still have to travel to Texas — you know, the nation's No. 1 team — and have Tennessee and Ole Miss on the schedule after that. An Alabama-Georgia rematch is far from a sure thing.

Texas looks really good. So does Tennessee. Missouri has a very favorable schedule that avoids Texas, Georgia and Ole Miss . The SEC race has so many more turns to make.

And when we get to the CFP, there will absolutely be a difference between getting a first-round bye, hosting a first-round game and traveling to a first-round game. There is such a long way to go and still so much to play for. Yes, getting the No. 5 seed could set up an advantageous path through the bracket, but some team will have to actually earn that position. Do you think Kirby Smart feels it doesn't matter whether his team has to open on the road or open with a bye?

It's also disingenuous to act like the 12-team CFP has brought such a dramatic change to the postseason stakes of regular season games. Georgia lost to Alabama in 2021 and still won a national championship. Those Bulldogs played in the first of two consecutive national championship games featuring a team that didn't win its conference ( TCU in 2022). The 2017 Alabama championship team didn't even win its division. We were already here.

One loss has never ended a team's national title hopes. There were more one-loss national champions in the four-team CFP era than undefeated national champions.

So just relax. The CFP is more than two months away from starting. Why are we talking about it in September? It's not the most important thing, especially right now. What happens each and every Saturday is. You never know when Virginia Tech will be an overturned Hail Mary away from beating No. 7 Miami or when Kentucky will beat a top-10 Ole Miss. Those moments are what we love about this sport.

We've had so many great matchups and games just through September, with so many more mind-blowing finishes to come. Enjoy the ride. College football always delivers. The new postseason won't change that.

(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / )