The Georgia Bulldogs (7-0, 4-0 SEC) were on a bye for Week 8 and didn’t budge in the latest edition of the SEC Country Power Poll.
The 2017 SEC Country Power Poll, consisting of 25 voters from around the SEC, placed Georgia in the No. 2 spot behind the Alabama Crimson Tide. This is the sixth consecutive week Georgia has been ranked second.
Georgia also stayed put in both the traditional top 25 polls. The Bulldogs are ranked third in both the AP Poll and Amway Coaches Poll for the second consecutive week. The first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings, which determines the four teams that qualify for the College Football Playoff, will be released following Week 9.
With an undefeated record through the first half of the 2017 slate, the Bulldogs are staring down a potential trip to the College Football Playoff. But first they must lock up the SEC East and book their tickets to the SEC Championship Game. A win over the Florida Gators (3-3, 3-2 SEC) this Saturday at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville, Fla., would go a long way toward achieving that goal.
The Gators and coach Jim McElwain will be charged with putting up points on a Georgia defense that’s only allowing 12.6 points per game. They must also stop a Georgia offense that is fueled by a top-10 ground game and improving weekly as freshman quarterback Jake Fromm does the same. He passed for a career-best 326 yards last week against Missouri.
“The other piece of it is they’re playing really good special teams, and playing good defense, and winning field position. You know, and not asking [Fromm] to do a ton, if that makes sense, but rather do it within the system,” McElwain said, according to Seth Emerson of DawgNation. “[Georgia coach Kirby Smart] obviously has done an outstanding job of that.”
The Gators are ranked seventh in the SEC Country Power Poll.
Your Week 8 Power Poll rankings
RANK | TEAM | POINTS | 1ST PLACEVOTES | PREV | HIGHVOTE | LOWVOTE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Alabama (13 - 1) | 325 | 25 | 111 | ||
2 | Georgia (13 - 2) | 299 | 0 | 223 | ||
3 | Auburn (10 - 4) | 263 | 0 | 325 | ||
4 | LSU (9 - 4) | 232 | 0 | 537 | ||
5 | Texas A&M (7 - 6) | 232 | 0 | 437 | ||
6 | Mississippi State (9 - 4) | 215 | 0 | 649 | ||
7 | Florida (4 - 7) | 174 | 0 | 858 | ||
8 | South Carolina (9 - 4) | 142 | 0 | 9610 | ||
9 | Kentucky (7 - 6) | 140 | 0 | 779 | ||
10 | Tennessee (4 - 8) | 76 | 0 | 111013 | ||
11 | Ole Miss (6 - 6) | 72 | 0 | 101014 | ||
12 | Arkansas (4 - 8) | 51 | 0 | 12814 | ||
13 | Vanderbilt (5 - 7) | 47 | 0 | 13914 | ||
14 | Missouri (7 - 6) | 7 | 0 | 141214 |
This week's voters:Alex Hickey (SEC Country)Alex Martin Smith (SEC Country)Andrew Astleford (SEC Country)Blake MorganBrandon Walker (SEC Country)Chris Kirschner (SEC Country)Christopher Walsh (SEC Country)Eric Bolin (SEC Country)Jeff Sentell (DawgNation)Joe Mussatto (SEC Country)Jordan Mcpherson (SEC Country)Justin Ferguson (SEC Country)Ken Bradley (SEC Country)Marq Burnett (SEC Country)Mike BambachMike Griffith (SEC Country)Nick SussPete ScantleburyRyan YoungSam SpiegelmanSam SpiegelmanSeth Emerson (DawgNation)Thomas Neumann (SEC Country)Trent Shadid (SEC Country)Zach Abolverdi (SEC Country)