Georgia, Michigan, T.C.U. and Ohio State Are Playoff Semifinalists

Saban, though he would not name a team that he thought his should leap, seemed to point less at the Horned Frogs than at Ohio State.

It’s hard to know if Saban was really speaking to the committee — or just trying to mollify his fan base, which might be justifiably grumpy that a team that nearly won a second consecutive championship last season in a rebuilding year could not even get out of the SEC West with a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and a star-studded defense.

One point that Saban made does carry some historical weight: A blowout loss late in the season often is harbinger of what lies ahead. An exception may have come last year when No. 1 Georgia was beaten handily by Alabama in the SEC championship game, 41-24, but got into the playoff as the No. 3 team, bulldozed Michigan in a semifinal, and avenged the defeat to Alabama in the title game.

But in the 2020 pandemic season, Notre Dame was blown out by Clemson in the A.C.C. championship game and was no match for Alabama in a semifinal.

In 2003, Oklahoma was throttled by Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game, 35-7, and was given a berth in the Bowl Championship Series title game, which it lost to Louisiana State in a defensive struggle. That season, U.S.C., whose only defeat was in overtime at Cal and its then-unheralded quarterback Aaron Rodgers, was left out. When the Trojans convincingly beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl, they were awarded the writers’ vote by finishing atop the Associated Press poll.

And in 2001, Nebraska was clobbered by Colorado, 62-36, in its regular-season finale, but was given a berth in the title game, where it was no match for Miami. Even though one-loss Oregon was second in all three polls, it was left out because it suffered in the computer rankings that were a component of the B.C.S.

This does not augur well for Ohio State, which was routed at home against its rival Michigan two week ago, surrendering 252 yards rushing in a 45-23 loss.

But somebody has to play the defending champion, Georgia, in what is close to a home game in Atlanta, and so the committee decided the Buckeyes would.