Georgia didn’t move up in the College Football Playoff seeding despite beating Alabama 28-7 in the SEC championship. It was ranked No. 3 in the final weekly installment of the CFP top 25 last Tuesday and remained the third seed in the official bracket.
It seems the selection committee might’ve been too focused on avoiding punishment for conference championship game losers. They should’ve spent more time -- at least in Georgia’s case -- considering how to properly reward championship game winners.
However, it’s possible that being the third seed is actually better for UGA than being No. 2.
Georgia will face the winner of Tulane-Ole Miss. Assuming the favored Rebels win, it would set up a rematch of a game UGA already won this season -- albeit in a thriller.
If the Bulldogs were seeded second, they would’ve played the winner of the Miami-Texas A&M matchup -- arguably a tougher draw.
Ultimately, the issue that matters though isn’t who you play or when you play as much as it is how you play. And if Georgia plays in the Playoff like it did Saturday against Alabama, then a national championship looms as a distinct possibility.
Check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
How many yards rushing did Georgia hold Alabama to in the SEC Championship Game?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Kirby Smart shares first thoughts on College Football Playoff
Kirby Smart has gotten his team back into the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive season.
Yet he was not in a celebratory mood when speaking to ESPN on Sunday. The Georgia coach was already focused on what comes next for the Bulldogs.
“The first thing we’re gonna do is try to heal, recover, final exams, and then take a deep dive at looking in ourselves and maybe see some areas we can grow in,” Smart said. “But it’s a long thought process about that, a lot of debate last year. I think none of the teams with byes won, if that’s correct. So there’s a lot of thought there, a lot of texting going on between coaches who did it last year, trying to find maybe a better way.”
Georgia won’t know its opponent until Dec. 20, when No. 6 Ole Miss plays No. 11 Tulane. Georgia did beat Ole Miss 43-35 earlier in the season, but both those teams are different from that first game. Ole Miss won’t have Lane Kiffin, while the Bulldogs could be missing a few of their contributors.
CFP bracket
Peach Bowl Semifinal:
- Rose Bowl: No. 1 Indiana vs. Oklahoma/Alabama
- Orange Bowl: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. Oregon/JMU
Fiesta Bowl Semifinal:
- Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Georgia vs. Ole Miss/Tulane
- Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. Texas A&M/Miami
Smart gives positive injury updates
Colbie Young hasn’t played since suffering a leg injury against Ole Miss on Oct. 19. It was a serious injury at the time.
But it may not have been a season-ending injury, as Smart explained on Sunday.
“We went over some injuries today, and his name came up,” Smart said. “I think it would be a stretch, and we’re so far off. I was not thinking of being able to get him back when the injury occurred in the initial timeline. There has been some optimism with his rehab and his recovery, but it was more for after the initial game if we were able to advance. But again, I don’t know. I think we’ll find out over the next, you know, 20-something days, we’ll find a lot more out.”
Young was not the only Bulldog Smart provided a health update on, as Georgia coach also shared positive news on running back Chauncey Bowens.
He left the game in the fourth quarter after ripping off a 19-yard run, the longest of the afternoon for Georgia.
“Yeah, he landed on his back on that run he broke out on,” Smart said. “And he was not, he was fine after the game. I’m not sure exactly what it was, but he landed on his back and he was in a great deal of pain and happened a couple other games in the season when he when he fell there and landed on it, but he seems to be fine.”
Photo of the day
Quote of the day
Wide receiver Dillon Bell on beating Alabama:
“It feels great. Us seniors, we had a goal of — the 2022 class, we came in here wanting an SEC championship and a national championship. So that’s the goal that we’re trying to have for our senior year. So it felt great beating them, especially after losing to them so much.”
Alabama QB Ty Simpson reveals how Georgia stymied ‘best offense in the country’
Ty Simpson left Mercedes-Benz Stadium battered, beaten and burned by the “Fire, Passion and Energy” Kirby Smart has preached throughout the season.
Georgia (12-1) claimed SEC superiority by repeating as league champions in a 28-7 win over Alabama, clinching a first-round bye and likely Sugar Bowl trip as the No 2 or No 3 seed.
The UGA defense held Alabama to a season-low 209 yards of offense, as Simpson was 19-of-39 passing for 212 yards with a touchdown and an interception that led to a Georgia touchdown.
“We have a standard as an offense in general; actually, we know we’re the best offense in the country,” Simpson said of the offensive struggles. “Then when we don’t show it, it’s very frustrating, especially times when we’re just a couple things away.
“Like I said, credit to Georgia’s defense, right? They had a good plan. That’s pretty much simple as that.”
Trivia answer
negative-3
