Saturday’s heavyweight battle between No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama will capture the attention of almost every college football fan with a television, and you can expect it to have some major implications for college football. There will be playoffs. The Top 5 matchup actually has a very checkered history – the Crimson Tide has won six of the last seven meetings. Even though Bama is a home dog for the first time since 2007, she has a chance to really cause havoc early in the season.

The winner of Saturday’s grudge match in the 2023 SEC Championship Game could make a serious case to AP voters that he deserves the top spot in next week’s poll, but everything will depend on other results. We assume that it will turn out as follows.

It would take a shocking loss to inferior Mississippi State to knock the Longhorns from their top spot, especially if Georgia loses. Even if there is uncertainty about who will start Texas at quarterback, it’s unlikely that Arch Manning or Quinn Ewers will make enough mistakes to cost the game. Regardless of the result in Tuscaloosa, the Longhorns should hold on to their top spot and try to fight for the right to keep it against Georgia on October 19th.

A win of any kind over Georgia should trigger a straight-up move for Alabama. It doesn’t matter what No. 3 Ohio State does against unranked Michigan State, the Crimson Tide will make a huge push over the next five weeks to clinch the spot ahead of the Buckeyes. Now Alabama can take solace in only finishing No. 2 as it can wait until Georgia and Texas meet on October 19 in Austin. However, Alabama may have to make a case for Georgia: If Texas falls, Bama is in a solid position trying to take the top spot by default.

As I said, a win over Sparty won’t get the Buckeyes past their current position. Now a loss (although unlikely) would further confuse the situation. In that case, Georgia might not fall all the way back to No. 4, and its Oct. 19 game against Texas would be all the more consequential.

A straight trade with Alabama is the most likely scenario if the Bulldogs fall on Saturday. However, it’s not out of the question for it to drop even further if it’s a blowout loss. While unlikely, we have seen AP voters punish potential cheaters (see the setbacks of Michigan or Notre Dame earlier this year). Still, a win over Texas in Week 7 would give voters even more headaches about who to pick back at No. 1.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Volunteers get some votes at No. 4 if Georgia loses to Alabama. His impressive win over then-Top 15 Oklahoma in Norman is certainly a resume boost and could give him more credibility ahead of Georgia. However, voters tend to give the losers of high-profile matchups the benefit of the doubt (especially if they are in the SEC). Tennessee will face Georgia in November, but the poll will likely look very different by then.

The rest of the top 25 will certainly shift if the ranked teams lose (No. 15 Louisville and No. 16 Notre Dame meet on Saturday), but if everyone else wins in this week’s poll, it’s very likely that the order remains fairly stable.

1. Texas Longhorns
2. Alabama Crimson Tide
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
4. Georgia Bulldogs
5. Tennessee Volunteers
6. Ole Miss Rebels (4-0) (1,269 points)
7. Miami Hurricanes (4-0) (1,139 points)
8. Oregon Ducks (4-0) (1,073 points)
9. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) (1,051 points)
10. Utah Utes (4-0) (1,037 points)
11. Missouri Tigers (4-0) (1,009 points)
12. Michigan Wolverines (3-1) (805 points)
13. USC Trojans (2-1) (690 points)
14. LSU Tigers (3-1) (637 points)
15. Louisville Cardinals (3-0) (553 points)
16. Notre Dame fights against Irish (3-1) (546 points)
17. Clemson Tigers (2-1) (540 points)
18. Cyclones in the state of Iowa (3-0) (530 points)
19. Illinois battles Illinois (4-0) (458 points)
20. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-1) (388 points)
21. Oklahoma Sooners (3-1) (375 points)
22. BYU Cougars (4-0) (327 points)
23. Kansas State Wildcats (3-1) (168 points)
24. Texas A&M Aggies (3-1) (77 points)
25. Boise State Broncos (2-1) (69 points)