ATHENS —Georgia’s regular-season resume is complete after a long, historic night in Sanford Stadium.

The No. 7-ranked Bulldogs wore-down and finally wore-out upset-minded Georgia Tech, prevailing 44-42 in an 8-overtime thriller that marked UGA’s SEC record-tying 31st straight home victory.

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, criticized by the CFP Committee in their earlier weekly evaluations, tied a school record with five touchdown passes and proved more poised and capable than Tech dual-threat Haynes King, who proved ineffective once overtime shifted to the 2-point conversion format from the third overtime.

ESPN projected on Friday night that Georgia would have a 97-percent chance of making the College Football Playoffs if it beat Georgia Tech — even if UGA lost in the SEC Championship Game.

A win in the SEC Championship Game would earn the Bulldogs a first-round bye and trip to the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

So now Georgia’s attention shifts to other college football Saturday action, as the College Football Playoff field will continue to take shape.

Here are key games UGA will be watching, and the preferred results in order of the games’ importance:

Texas at Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m., ABC

It might seem counterintuitive to suggest Georgia would be better off playing the No. 3 Longhorns than the No. 20 Aggies, but 1) UGA matches up better with an immobile QB (Quinn Ewers) than a mobile QB (A&M’s Marcel Reed), and, 2) An SEC title game loss to a No. 2 Texas team UGA beat on the road than a loss to the lower-ranked Aggies.

Georgia fans should root for Texas.

Notre Dame at USC, 3:30 p.m. CBS

Georgia fans finally have reason to root for USC coach Lincoln Riley, a chief rival on the recruiting trails.

A USC win over Notre Dame would likely knock the Irish out of the CFP field of 12 and create another slot for an at-large SEC team.

If Georgia loses in the SEC Championship Game, it will be at the mercy of a CFP selection committee that has not seemed to reward the Bulldogs for their No. 1 strength of schedule.

Auburn at Alabama

Can Georgia fans gather themselves for a big “Warrrrr Eagle!?” That’s right, cheer for Auburn at Alabama (it will need all the help it can get).

A Tigers win would effectively end any shot the CFP Committee could end its love-fest with the Tide, as it would have four losses.

An Auburn win would also boost Georgia’s schedule strength, as the Bulldogs disposed of the Tigers earlier this season.

Tennessee at Vanderbilt noon, ABC

A Tennessee loss would help Georgia, because the Vols only have two losses entering the contest and could slide ahead of UGA in the rankings should the Bulldogs lose in the SEC Championship Game.

The Vols could get knocked out of the CFP field of 12 with a loss, which would not break the hearts of Georgia fans as Tennessee is a rising championship contender and chief recruiting rival for Georgia high school prospects.

Washington at Oregon, 7:30 p.m. NBC

The Ducks have already clinched the Big Ten Championship Game, which Georgia fans surely want them to win to avoid any chance of playing an on-campus game in Autzen Stadium. A loss to the Huskies could only help Georgia’s quarterfinal seed should the Bulldogs win the SEC Championship Game.

But then again, most all Georgia fans appreciate former UGA coordinator Dan Lanning, who might someday far off be Kirby Smart’s successor leading the Bulldogs.

South Carolina at Clemson, noon, ESPN

A Clemson win helps Georgia in two ways: Georgia beat Clemson 34-3 in both teams’ opener, and a Tigers’ win would make that win more impressive on the Bulldogs’ resume, and, 2) A fourth-loss by the Gamecocks would eliminate any chance the CFP committee could slide them ahead of Georgia in the rankings should both teams finish with three losses.

Miami at Syracuse, 3:30 p.m., ESPN

Georgia fans will want to see the Syracuse Orange prevail in this one, as it would thrust Clemson into the ACC Championship Game (increasing the value of UGA’s 34-3 win over the Tigers) and likely drop the Hurricanes below the Bulldogs in the rankings.

Remember, Georgia Tech beat Miami earlier this season, and Georgia beat Georgia Tech, transitive properties.

Florida at Florida State, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Georgia fans might have to grit their teeth here when they say, “Go Gators!”

But it’s true, a Florida win boosts Georgia’s resume as they handled the Gators earlier this season by a 34-20 count, and a win over a 7-5 teams looks better than a win over a 6-6 team that lost to a 2-9 ACC program.

Louisville at Kentucky, noon, SEC Network

This one isn’t too major, but seeing any team Georgia beat this season — that isn’t in the three-loss range — boosts the Bulldogs’ strength of schedule rating. That 13-12 road win at Kentucky will look a little better if the Wildcats rise up and beat the fourth-place ACC team.

Michigan at Ohio State, noon, Fox

Georgia would benefit from an Ohio State loss, as it would decrease the likelihood the Buckeyes would be hosting a first-round on-campus game — which UGA could find itself playing in, as a road team, should the Bulldogs stumble in the SEC Championship Game.

Maryland at Penn State, 3:30 p.m. Big Ten Network

The guess here is that Georgia would travel to play Penn State in a first-round on-campus game if the Nittany Lions win and the Bulldogs lose to Texas in the SEC Championship Game. Is that a good thing?

Regardless, if Penn State stumbles as a three-touchdown favorite at home UGA would likely jump the Nittany Lions in the CFP rankings even with an SEC Championship Game loss.

Purdue at Indiana, 7 p.m. FS1

There’s no way the Boilermakers will upset Indiana, but if they did, it would knock out the Hoosiers.

The good news is if the Hoosiers win, there’s a chance that could be the on-site campus opponent Georgia would travel to should the Bulldogs’ stumble in the SEC title game.

As long as Georgia’s not playing basketball in Indiana, it should be an easy win.

Cal at SMU, 3:30 p.m., ESPN2

This wouldn’t seem to hold much immediate interest, but the worse off other conference champs, the better off a two-loss SEC Champion Georgia would be in the seedings.

SMU has one-loss, so another loss would equal Georgia’s total should it win the SEC Championship Game, and not even this CFP committee would put a two-loss ACC Champion Mustangs team over a two-loss UGA.

Big 12 teams

Arizona State is in the driver’s seat for the Big 12 title game number one seed if it beats Arizona, and Iowa State (which plays host to Kansas State) is No. 2 in the Big 12 tiebreaker with BYU No. 3 (and playing host to Houston).

Colorado beat Oklahoma State on Friday and will play in the Big 12 title game if any of the current top three seeds lose.

The Big 12 champ won’t be as strong as projected Mountain West Conference champ Boise State, so this pool of teams doesn’t have much consequence to Georgia at surface level.