Georgia has settled in as the clear No. 4 team in the country, due in part to its strong resume with wins over Florida, Notre Dame and Auburn. But the Bulldogs have not necessarily been the most impressive looking team, as Georgia hasn’t scored more than 30 points in a game since facing Tennessee.

But it looks like some in the national media are warming up to the idea of the Bulldogs being in the College Football Playoff. For Georgia to get there, it would have to beat LSU in the SEC championship game on Dec. 7.

Of the 11 polled ESPN analysts, seven of them had Georgia in the College Football Playoff if it were to be held today. It should be noted that the analysts were not projecting the end of season College Football Playoff results.

ESPN’s Seth Walder laid out a case for the Bulldogs to make it a nice and easy decision for the College Football Playoff committee on Dec. 8.

“The Bulldogs are the Jenga piece that makes the rest of the tower drop. Should they beat the Tigers, there’s a nice, clean and easy playoff,” Walder wrote. “It’s the four teams we’ve touched on so far. But if Georgia can’t upset LSU, that’s when it all becomes a giant mess.”

Walder gave Georgia a 50 percent chance of making the College Football Playoff. To do so, Georgia will have to first beat Georgia Tech before next facing LSU in the SEC championship game.

The Bulldogs are heavy favorites over the Yellow Jackets, as the 28-point spread for Saturday’s game is the highest in the history of the series. Georgia Tech enters the game with a 3-8 record and the Yellow Jackets have not won in this rivalry in Atlanta since 1999.

Because of that, Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde said the rivalry has lost some of its luster, especially compared to some of the more prominent rivalries in the sport.

“The Bulldogs must win to remain in the playoff hunt, and the obstacle is a 3-8 rival that doesn’t appear to present a huge threat. Simply hold serve, don’t let anything crazy happen, survive and advance to the SEC championship game,” Forde wrote. “But the Yellow Jackets did show a flicker of offensive life in their last game, posting season highs of 266 rushing yards and 395 total yards in a win over North Carolina State.”

However, Georgia coach Kirby Smart does not seem to be taking the Yellow Jackets lightly.

“I think their offense has grown and they got better and better from the beginning of the year towards the end of the year, it’s like two different teams,” Smart said. “Their quarterback’s done a tremendous job. James has been extremely athletic, and he’s gotten better throwing the ball. He threw the ball with a lot of confidence Thursday night and their team is growing.”

Georgia and Georgia Tech kick off at 12 p.m. on ABC on Saturday.

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