What happens in Tuscaloosa won’t stay in Tuscaloosa.

What happens in Tuscaloosa will reverberate to the west, cross the Mississippi and enter a boardroom at the Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine, Tex., on the weekend of Dec. 7-8.

From there, it will turn northwest, soar over the Rockies and ripple through the Pac-12 — perhaps descending as sweet music, perhaps as a shockwave.

Free advice to fans of Oregon, Utah and the Pac-12 in general:

Root for No. 1 LSU to beat No. 2 Alabama.

A loss by the Tigers — and especially a close loss by the Tigers — would set up a nightmare scenario for the Pac-12.

Let’s start our thought exercise by envisioning a Pac-12 championship game in which both Oregon and Utah are 11-1 and ranked solidly in the top 10.

The winner stands behind Clemson, behind Ohio State and behind the SEC champion in the playoff selection process.

It’s in the small group of teams competing for the final berth.

Now imagine LSU losing a close game this week — maybe it’s 35-31, maybe it’s 30-24. Either way, the game is in doubt into the fourth quarter.

LSU does not win the SEC title or even the West division, but on selection weekend the Tigers present a resume that includes a road victory over Texas, wins over Florida and Auburn and a single loss, in a close game, to the mighty Crimson Tide.

The Tigers are evaluated against the Pac-12 champion, which has a loss to Auburn (Oregon), no quality non-conference wins (Oregon and Utah) and fewer wins over ranked teams (Oregon and Utah).

The discussion in the committee room lasts no more than 15 or 20 minutes before the Tigers are awarded the final spot.

Not even the presence of Oregon AD Rob Mullens, as the committee chair, can propel the Ducks or Utes into the semifinals. (Mullens must recuse himself from voting or offering an opinion on the Ducks.)

Remember: The committee’s stated goal is to select the best teams, not the most deserving.

And it has intentionally retained enough flexibility in the evaluation process to define ‘best’ by whatever means it desires.

In our opinion, there is no chance that 11-1 LSU — with wins over Texas, Florida and Auburn and a single loss in a close game to Alabama — is left out of the CFP.

No chance.

The one-loss Pac-12 champ simply cannot match the Tigers for quality wins, quality-of-loss or head-to-head result (against Auburn). It would get the squeeze.

The playoff quartet is Alabama, LSU, Clemson and Ohio State and nobody to the east of Boulder spends a second debating the merits of the committee’s decision.

But …

If LSU beats Alabama, the calculation changes.

In our scenario, the Crimson Tide would be a one-loss non-champion that lacks an impressive non-conference win (Duke, New Mexico State, Southern Mississippi and Western Carolina) and lost at home to LSU.

Alabama would have two advantages over the Pac-12 contender: It’s Alabama, and it beat Auburn.

But the Tide’s resume as a non-champion/non-division winner isn’t as strong as LSU’s case under the same circumstances.

Oregon/Utah would have a conference title to counter the case for a non-champ with a soft out-of-conference resume.

Oregon/Utah just might have as many wins over ranked teams (one) as Alabama.

That’s a different discussion for the committee.

That’s a discussion the Pac-12 champion might win.

But head-to-head against one-loss LSU?

That feels like a lost cause.

To the projections …

Bowl: Rose

Team: Oregon (8-1/6-0)

Home games left (two): Arizona, Oregon State

Road games left (one): Arizona State

Comment: Reminder that the first committee rankings will be unveiled at approximately 6 p.m. today on ESPN. Whatever happens, remain calm. Everything will change.

Bowl: Alamo

Team: Utah (8-1/5-1)

Home games left (two): UCLA, Colorado

Road games left (one): Arizona

Comment: To continue the scoreboard watching from above: The Ducks/Utes would benefit greatly from a Penn State loss this weekend to Minnesota. If the Nittany Lions finish with a single loss to Ohio State, they would be a threat to block the Pac-12 champion.

Bowl: Holiday

Team: Washington (5-4/2-4)

Home games left (one): Washington State

Road games left (two): Oregon State, Colorado

Comment: An eight-win season remains realistic for the Huskies, who will be favored in their final three. If that plays out, the Holiday would be the likely destination. But one loss could send them tumbling.

Bowl: Redbox

Team: UCLA (4-5/4-2)

Home games left (one): Cal

Road games left (two): Utah, USC

Comment: Revised Hotline projections have the Bruins getting bowl-eligible with wins over Cal and USC, which would translate to a 6-6/6-3 finish … good for second place in the South.

Bowl: Sun

Team: USC (5-4/4-2)

Home games left (one): UCLA

Road games left (two): Arizona State, Cal

Comment: Bowls cringe at the prospect of participants with interim coaches, but the Sun might not have a choice in USC’s case: It’s obligated to invite the available team with the best conference record, and Clay Helton won’t be in charge at that point.

Bowl: Las Vegas

Team: Stanford (4-4/3-3)

Home games left (two): Cal, Notre Dame

Road games left (two): Colorado, Washington State

Comment: We’ve got the Cardinal pegged for two more wins, and likely three. But nobody wants Stanford back in El Paso — not the bowl, not the conference, and not Stanford.

Bowl: Cheez-It

Team: Arizona State (5-3/2-3)

Home games left (three): USC, Oregon, Arizona

Road games left (one): Oregon State

Comment: The only team not named Oregon or Utah that can win nine games, which means the Sun Devils have a wide array of possible landing spots. But the Pac-12’s cluttered middle means a single result carries a major impact.

Bowl: At large

Team: Washington State (4-4/1-4)

Home games left (two): Stanford, Oregon State

Road games left (two): Cal, Washington

Comment: Not sure where or how, but the Cougars will find a way to win two more. If they lose in Berkeley this weekend, however, their prospects for 6-6 plummet.

Not eligible

Team: Arizona (4-5/2-4)

Home games left (one): Utah

Road games left (two): Oregon, Arizona State

Comment: Basketball season starts this week, so it’s all good in Tucson.

Not eligible

Team: Cal (4-4/1-4)

Home games left (two): Washington State, USC

Road games left (two): Stanford, UCLA

Comment: Until we see proof the Bears can generate an iota of offense without Chase Garbers, we’re assuming they can’t.

Not eligible

Team: Colorado (3-6/1-5)

Home games left (two): Stanford, Washington

Road games left (one): UCLA, Utah

Comment: The next victory might not come until next year.

Not eligible

Team: Oregon State (4-4/2-3)

Home games left (two): Washington, Arizona State

Road games left (two): Washington State, Oregon

Comment: Pondered the Beavers’ fate longer than any other team and concluded 0-4 or 1-3 is more likely down the stretch than 2-2 or 3-1. But they have proved us wrong frequently in recent weeks.

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