Some things are obvious following the release of the third College Football Playoff rankings:
Georgia is No. 1 and will remain No. 1 unless beaten in the SEC championship game. But either way, the Bulldogs are a playoff lock with one loss regardless of when that loss occurs.
The winner between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan is basically guaranteed to make the top four. Similar to Georgia, the victor is a lock even with one loss, should that defeat come this Saturday — the Buckeyes face Maryland and the Wolverines take on Illinois — and the winner rebound to win the rivalry and the conference championship.