As the season draws to a close, Georgia football is under pressure. Although they are 9-2, they are very close to securing their place in the College Football Playoffs.
In order to qualify for the College Football Playoffs this season, UGA may need to win both of their remaining games. Yes, if Georgia wins the SEC Championship game next week, they will qualify for the CFP; but, if they lose to Georgia Tech on Friday, they will only be able to qualify if they win the title game. In order to relieve some of the burden on the championship game the following weekend, Georgia must defeat Georgia Tech.
Who knows what the CFP committee will do if Georgia loses the SEC, though, given the way they have conducted their business this year.
Even if Georgia finishes the season with three defeats, former Alabama coach Nick Saban is quite certain that the team will qualify for the playoffs this year.
According to On3.com, Saban stated, “You have some other teams that maybe didn’t play the same competition, but they also didn’t lose games to average teams.” That, I believe, is important. Furthermore, Georgia should not be penalized if they are the only team with three defeats who might argue for a spot in the SEC championship game. They would finish up with if they were to lose the game.
Georgia’s participation in the SEC Championship game shouldn’t result in any penalties.
Saban agrees with many people throughout the nation that UGA shouldn’t be penalized for participating in the SEC Championship game. Saban believes the outcome of the SEC Championship game shouldn’t affect whether Georgia advances to the CFP, assuming they defeat Georgia Tech this weekend.
For instance, if teams like Tennessee win their season finale, their place in the CFP will be guaranteed. After this week’s games, Georgia’s record would also be on par with, if not superior to, that of a team like Tennessee. Therefore, if Georgia loses the SEC Championship game, why should they lag behind a team like Tennessee?
Saban and the majority of people believe that a team shouldn’t receive recognition if they are exempt from playing in their conference’s championship game. Therefore, Georgia should still qualify for the CFP even if they lose in the championship game and finish 10-3 this season. Therefore, Georgia should only lose its final two games at this stage of the season in order to miss the playoffs.
But who can predict what the committee will ultimately decide to do? Georgia still has a chance to secure a top four seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs by winning their remaining two games.
Forecasting the 12-team College Football Playoff field for Georgia football
What a crazy college football weekend. While some teams that were in the running to qualify for the College Football Playoffs were upset by some subpar teams, other teams performed admirably in their games.
Even a top five matchup revealed that one of the clubs might not be a good fit in the 12-team tournament.
Here is our prediction for the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, which includes a nice jump for Kirby Smart and Georgia football, with one week left in the regular season before the conference championships take center stage.
12-team CFP bracket projection
Seeded Teams:
- Oregon
- Texas
- Miami (FL)
- Boise State
- Ohio State
- Penn State
- Notre Dame
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Tennessee
- SMU
- Arizona State
Important Takeaways
There have been better Saturdays for the SEC. All three of the SEC teams vying for a CFP berth fell to below.500 and lower. This includes Texas A&M, who are no longer eligible to submit an at-large bid, and Alabama and Ole Miss, who are no longer in the 12-team bracket. With three losses, the Rebels and Tide will require a lot of assistance to survive, but the Aggies still have control over their own fate because two more victories will make them SEC Champions.
Everyone has a different perspective about the Indiana team. Despite being 10-1 thus far this season, the Hoosiers have yet to record a noteworthy victory. This weekend, Indiana had an opportunity to show their mettle against Ohio State, but they were thrashed 38–15. Although Indiana might not have made it into the 12-team bracket, their victory in the season finale should keep them in the running for an at-large bid given all of the SEC teams’ defeats.
After the Sun Devils defeated BYU 28–23, Arizona State replaced BYU as the Big 12 champion.
Tennessee and SMU have entered the field for the time being since Alabama and Ole Miss were eliminated from the 12-team bracket. Tennessee now needs a victory over Vanderbilt this weekend to secure their postseason berth, while SMU can still win the ACC and secure a top four seed.
With one week left in the regular season, everything is still conceivable, but if this past weekend taught us anything, it’s that anyone may lose at any time. However, a few more teams will secure themselves in the field with at-large bids if they win this week, so this bracket will really start to take shape next week.
