Georgia at Alabama 1.0

Georgia at Alabama 1.0. Everybody is excited about #2 Georgia vs #4 Alabama Saturday night when the college football world focuses on the biggest game on the schedule. Back in my day this game would mean everything. The winner would have an early inside track to claim a national championship. The loser would face the heart breaking reality that, while they may still have a great season, they were probably out of the national championship picture.

Not anymore.

Georgia at Alabama 1.0: Now this game is the equivalent of an NFL preseason game. A warm-up of sorts. Why? Because they will likely play each other again. And again. That's right. This game won't count for much because the real game that counts will be when they probably face each other again in December for the SEC Championship. But even that game won't matter much because they will both be ranked in the top ten and they will both make the expanded 12-team college football playoffs... where they may meet a third time.

Then SEC is not alone in this scenario. Ohio State plays Oregon on October 12. There is a strong possibility they could face each other in the Big Ten Championship and again in the playoffs. In fact, as long as the SEC and Big Ten keep putting 3 or 4 teams in the playoffs every year this scenario is likely to repeat itself over and over each year. College football used to be about the magic an important Saturday afternoon would bring. Now powerhouse meetings like Georgia at Alabama are more like Game One of a short MLB Wild Card Series.

For all the latest on college football tune in each weekday to Craig Shemon and Company form 2-6pm on ESPN Southwest Florida.