Alabama shakes up the playoff picture

The final four-team College Football Playoff is poised to be the most controversial yet.

No. 8 Alabama was the agent of chaos Saturday, upsetting No. 1 Georgia for the Southeastern Conference title and ending the twotime defending national champ’s 29-game winning streak.

“Georgia was No. 1, right? You beat the No. 1 team, what does that make us?” Alabama quarterback Jalen Miltoe told reporters.

If only it was so simple. With No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Florida State still to play their conference title games later Saturday, only one spot appeared locked up: No. 3 Washington (13-0) won the Pac-12 title Friday night.

The field for the last CFP before it expands to 12 next year will be set Sunday, but sorting through this year’s unusually crowded group of contenders might make the selection committee wish it could fast forward to the new format.

Rarely in the nine years the national champion has been decided by a four-team playoff has the bracket failed to fall into place with little debate.

But this year, the committee could be facing a truly vexing problem. Texas? Alabama? Georgia? There won’t be room for all of them.

No. 7 Texas routed No. 19 Oklahoma State, making an emphatic case for its first playoff berth. Texas knocked off Alabama by 10 points in Tuscaloosa in September and is now the team that beat the team that just beat the No. 1 team.