College Football Playoffs: Do Alabama, South Carolina or Ole Miss deserve the SEC’s final overall bid?

It looks like only four SEC teams will make the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff field.

Three of the four SEC bids are already blocked. Of the underdogs vying for possible fourth place, in my opinion there are clearly the best.

First, let’s take a look at who’s sure to be there:

• Texas: 11-1
• Georgia: 10-2
• Tennessee: 10-2

Look from the outside in:

• South Carolina: 9-3
• Ole Miss: 9-3
• Alabama: 9-3

It looks like only four SEC teams will reach the first edition of the expanded 12-team playoffs. Three of the four SEC bids are already blocked. Of the underdog teams vying for a possible fourth spot, in my opinion there is clearly the best.

In my opinion, South Carolina has the best chance of making the playoffs out of the three SEC teams in question. The Gamecocks were a clear playoff contender from 10-2 this season with a terrible referee call against LSU. Remember, their QB also went down at halftime of that game. South Carolina lost to three SEC teams by an overall record of 26-10 and a total of 29 points, most of them in an ugly game against Ole Miss where they lost by 24 points. Since the heartbreaking loss to Alabama, the Gamecocks have won six straight games, including three ranked opponents, while the Tide have gone 4-2 in that span, with their worst loss in over a decade coming at the hands of Oklahoma, 24-3.

If the College Football Playoff Selection Committee decides not to pick South Carolina at 9-3, I would assume Ole Miss is the team they bet on. The Rebels are 9-3 with a great win but also a very bad loss. The Lane Kiffin-led Rebels beat Georgia and South Carolina at home this year, but also lost to Kentucky in a terrible performance. The other two losses came on the road against LSU and Florida. This is arguably the most talented team in Ole Miss history, but the loss to Florida in Week 13 just isn’t enough for me.

I just don’t think Alabama is a playoff-caliber team this year. With road losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma, the Crimson Tide is 9-3. They have played sloppy football in the last two weeks, with a total of seven turnovers. They had a four-game stretch where they took a 2-2 lead, when they could very easily have finished 0-4. They also suffered their worst loss since 2007, when they faced unranked Oklahoma and were beaten 24-3. Kalen DeBoer fell short of expectations with what was, on paper, the best squad in college football.

I expect this last point will fall on South Carolina and Alabama. No information, just my gut feeling. Alabama is a big brand and I think this could ultimately improve their chances of getting drafted. I’m not sure what will happen, but I know no one wants to play South Carolina right now. They’re just as hot as everyone else.