The SEC deserves to have two teams in the Final Four, and Alabama should be one of them

First of all, if you're a Bama fan reading this you're just a fan, just like me. As fans, we have absolutely no obligation to not look ahead of the next opponent. No amount of future-tripping will have one bit of impact on what the rest of this season deals out to the Alabama Crimson Tide. We don't matter unless we don't show up for games and we don't show support win or lose. We are the Bama Nation and this program's tradition has us rightly expecting to be in the mix for the national championship every single year.

If you're not just a fan then you are (1) a member of the allegedly objective sports media (2) a coach or player and you should know better than to eat this rat poison or (3) a fan of a rival school and your therapist has told you not to hurt yourself by obsessing over stuff like this.

The Southeastern Conference is the best football conference in the country. Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and LSU are the five most lethal teams in the country (Auburn and Florida are both better than their records indicate). Put any two of these against any other two teams in the country. Play each matchup 10 times and there's better than a coin-flip chance that those two SEC teams end up meeting each other in the Championship Game every time.

You can't change my mind.

Even with the injuries to Tua Tagovailoa, Henry Ruggs, Christian Hale and Raekwon Davis Alabama is still one of the elite teams in the most elite conference in the country. The College Football Playoff selection committee is supposed to nominate and seed the four best teams in the country.

Alabama needs to win out, of course. They have to win the Iron Bowl and it doesn't matter if a one loss-Georgia wins or loses the SEC Championship Game. If Georgia loses, Alabama is in because its one loss compared to Georgia's two is a better resume.  If LSU loses, Alabama gets in because LSU lost last. If Georgia stomps LSU, all the better because Alabama lost one game by a measly five points in a slugfest.

I hear and respect the arguments of teams like Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma. Pick Clemson and either of the other two for playoff berths. For the odd man out you can make a case that the jilted team could have never survived an eight game SEC schedule with their skins intact. They'll be ok--they know that's true and besides, they're used to being left out. They can play one of the other SEC elites for third place bragging rights.

If Alabama wins the Iron Bowl, then the Tide should make its sixth appearance in the College Football Playoff. Anything else is a travesty.

Don't argue with me.