No. 10 Auburn routed No. 1 Georgia 40-17 on Saturday, throwing another wrench in the College Football Playoff race and heating up the three-way SEC conference championship chase with just two weeks to go.
Who ends up in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Dec. 2? That becomes a very interesting question now. No. 2 Alabama still faces No. 18 Mississippi State on Saturday.
MORE: How Auburn mauled Georgia
Here are five instant impacts from the Tigers' big win:
Georgia down, but not out
The Bulldogs used their mulligan. That would be the optimist's viewpoint. Georgia can still win its next two games and beat either Alabama or Auburn in the SEC championship game. By virtue of that nonconference victory against Notre Dame, the Bulldogs still would have a better-than-good chance of cracking the top four with the conference championship in hand.
Alabama No. 1 again?
If the Crimson Tide take care of business in Starkville, then they will be No. 1 in next week's rankings. This should shock nobody, but Alabama still must prove it over the next three weeks against Mercer, Auburn and, potentially, in Atlanta. A one-loss Crimson Tide team without a conference championship isn't a sure thing either.
BENDER: Two-loss Ohio State still has playoff hopes
Auburn's two-loss dream is alive
Auburn will be the highest-ranked two-loss team, and still controls its destiny heading into the next two weeks. The Tigers can't look past Louisiana-Monroe, but the Iron Bowl is now winner-takes-SEC-West affair. Auburn can keep piling on the big victories and become the first two-loss team to crack the College Football Playoff.
SEC's two-team dream looks dead
The only way the SEC could possibly get two teams in the College Football Playoff now would be if Alabama finished 12-0, then lost to the one-loss Bulldogs in the SEC championship game. Even then, we have our doubts. Instead of a blockbuster matchup between two undefeated teams, the Bulldogs' loss likely means it's an elimination game no matter what.
Hell, Iron Bowl
The Iron Bowl is going to be huge — as usual. Will Alabama be the team that represents the SEC West for the fourth straight year in the College Football Playoff era? Or will the Tigers earn their way into a rematch with Georgia? It's an exciting three-week stretch in the SEC, and the stakes are more exciting than usual. Remember the last time Alabama played the Tigers at home in a game that decided the SEC West champion?
