Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t have to play.

That’s not what anyone wants to hear right now with the latest “Game of the Century” between Alabama and LSU already in overhype mode and still two Saturdays away. Like everyone else, I want to see Tua vs. LSU’s Joe Burrow. Resting Alabama’s injured star quarterback might be the better decision, though.

It’s something to consider, and we’re going to have a long time to consider things with the game still so far away.

Should Tua play in a football game that Alabama doesn’t even have to win less than three weeks after having surgery on his ankle? It’s risky for a couple reasons, and it’s also unnecessary.

Give him a good month and a half. Make sure he is perfect for the Iron Bowl, or as close to perfect as he can be after injuring his ankle against Tennessee. The College Football Playoff committee isn’t going to keep one-loss Alabama out of the postseason based on a loss to No.1 LSU that came without Tua at quarterback.

Before speaking to Birmingham’s Monday Morning Quarterback Club, Alabama coach Nick Saban answered a few questions from reporters and said he “doesn’t have a crystal ball” to answer hypothetical questions about whether his injured quarterback will play. He got a little prickly, of course. It’s delicate subject material.

He wants his players to rest mentally and physically this week, and then get down to business with preparation for LSU beginning on Thursday.

According to Saban, Tua is expected to start going through the motions of practice on Wednesday despite his recent surgery. Does Saban have a cut-off date when he must decide between playing Tua against LSU, or backup quarterback Mac Jones?

“I don’t really have a date,” Saban said. “I have a date that I need to know can the guy play well enough to perform well enough to help the team have a chance to be successful.”

Is Tua at 75 percent healthy better than Jones at 100 percent? Does it really matter? It shouldn’t.

The most important factor on whether Tua should play against LSU is his long-term health, obviously. Assuming Alabama has Tua’s long-term health in its best interest, which of course they do, then Tua being cleared to play means there is no risk for another injury to his ankle that might affect his professional career later. No one is going to risk that. But, let’s be clear, just because a doctor can get someone back on the field really fast doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the best decision for the team or for Tua.

There is too much at stake for Tua, and this isn’t even a “must-win” scenario for Alabama. He might be the No.1 pick in the draft in April. What if this ankle injury puts him in a situation where he suffers an even worse injury because he’s not as mobile? What if the injury causes him to drop in the draft based on a poor performance?

There is so much money on the line now for players like Tua. I know Saban doesn’t like hypothetical questions, but these things need to be considered.

Alabama’s star quarterback suffered a high-ankle sprain against Tennessee and was hurried into surgery on Oct. 20 in Birmingham for a procedure to get him back on the field as fast as possible. Essentially, they put a zip tie between the two bones in his lower leg to hold them together.

It’s a common surgery at Alabama, according to a former player. Tua had the same surgery on his other ankle after last year’s injury against Georgia in the SEC championship game. The “tightrope” surgery for ankle sprains is performed so often at Alabama that it’s actually a running joke in the locker room, according to former Alabama lineman Jonah Williams.

Even before Tua left the field against Tennessee, he was probably already thinking about the surgery so he could get back in time for LSU. In the end, whether he plays against the Tigers is going to be his choice. He’s a competitor, so we know what that choice will be.

If he misses the game, he’s probably out of the running for the Heisman Trophy. Well, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Dan Marino and Brett Favre didn’t win it either, and they’re doing just fine.

Tua played injured last season while in the hunt for the Heisman Trophy, and it contributed to his injury against Georgia.

But never mind the Heisman. The wise decision for the long-term success of Alabama this season is resting Tua to avoid the chance of aggravating his surgically repaired ankle against LSU. It’s a gamble, but Alabama has proven in the past that it can make the College Football Playoff with one loss and without playing in the SEC championship game. The Crimson Tide lost to Auburn in 2017, and went on to win the national championship.

Is the College Football Playoff committee going to punish Alabama for playing it safe with their star quarterback? No, it’s not because that would be cruel and set a reckless precedent. Tua’s not even being paid. A loss to LSU without Tua doesn’t hurt the resume as much as a loss to LSU with him, and will anyone even remember that game when Alabama beats Auburn by 30 points in Jordan-Hare Stadium?

Losing to LSU is the easiest path to the College Football Playoff for Alabama. The Crimson Tide could then avoid either Georgia or Florida in the SEC championship game. We’ve all heard the argument that Alabama doesn’t have any signature wins so far this season, and it will keep them out of the playoff if they lose to LSU. Not buying that take. After a decade of dominating college football like a bully on a playground, Alabama has turned most of its division (and Tennessee) into a collection of broken dreams and landing pads for Saban’s former assistants.

Alabama is partly to blame for the SEC West dipping competitively in recent years, so now the College Football Playoff committee is going to hold Alabama at fault for being too good for so long? That’s a Catch-22.

It’s unfair to now hold their decimation of the SEC against Alabama to keep them out of the playoff. The College Football Playoff committee has a responsibility to pick the best four teams in college football. With Tua healthy at quarterback, there isn’t a scenario where a one-loss Alabama isn’t one of the four best teams in the country.

With Tua healthy, Alabama is the best team. Rest him against LSU. Avoiding competition to make the playoff isn’t a very honorable concept, but the College Football Playoff is a broken, phony system anyway. Might as well take advantage of it. #TankForThePlayoffs, anyone?

Pretty sure ESPN, the real kings of college football, are going to want Tua and Alabama in its playoff.

If the loser of No.1 LSU vs. No.2 Alabama is still going to make the College Football Playoff, then what’s the point of putting Tua in harm’s way? And, besides, Alabama can probably beat LSU with Jones at quarterback.

The Tigers and Burrow didn’t even score on Alabama last season.

Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group. He’s on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.