If we win, we are the 1 or 2 seed.
But what if we lose. Ideally we want to drop to the 5 seed as we have seen that path to the semi-finals is the most appealing.
If we lose and:
Oregon loses - they would remain ranked above us and we would be 6th seed at best
Notre Dame - no game, would a 11-2 Texas stay ranked ahead of 11-1 ND?
Ohio State/Tenn - no game, would a 11-2 Texas stay ranked ahead of 10-2 Ohio State/Tenn?
I do think common opponents help us in all 3 of these scenarios. ND lost to A&M. Ohio State lost to Michigan. Tenn lost to Arkansas and had worse performances against OU, Florida, Kentucky, Miss St. They did beat Vandy by 13.