Danny Kanell isn’t waiting around to see more from Georgia. After the Bulldogs knocked off Alabama in Tuscaloosa, he says their place in the College Football Playoff is already locked in.
“Georgia is the first team that punched their ticket to the playoff and most likely as the #1 seed. Passed the biggest (and only?) test and low key the remaining schedule is easy.”
That’s the kind of statement that comes with some pushback on the surface, especially with road trips to Ole Miss in Week 10 and Mizzou in Week 11 still ahead. But the larger point is hard to ignore: Georgia already has the win over Alabama in its back pocket, and even a split in those two games would leave the Bulldogs sitting at 10-2, which would be enough to get them into the CFP.
Of course, that’s before considering the possibility that Georgia runs the table from here. At this point, that feels like the more likely path.
The Bulldogs should be sitting near the top of the country when the Coaches and AP Polls are released later Sunday afternoon. Gunner Stockton added another strong road showing against a top-10 opponent and further made the case that he belongs among the SEC’s top quarterbacks. Georgia’s defense also did its job, holding Keelon Russell and a dangerous Alabama offense in check after the Tide had scored more than 45 points in every game leading up to the Week 6 matchup.
And then there’s Kirby Smart, who keeps doing what he does best. Georgia looks like a team built to stay in the fight all year, and right now, it has the kind of résumé that makes Kanell’s playoff take look pretty reasonable.
In Other News...
Georgias Win Was Just Overshadowed By An Ugly Alabama Tunnel Incident
Georgias 20-17 win over Alabama should have been remembered for the football, and in plenty of ways it was. Georgia got a strong rushing effort from Dwight Phillips Jr. and Bo Walker, while quarterback Gunner Stockton threw for 249 yards and a touchdown in a tight game that never gave either side much breathing room.
But the postgame scene near the stadium tunnel turned ugly fast. An Alabama fan physically attacked Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson, slapping and shoving his helmet in an incident recorded by reporter Reggie Chatman Jr., and witnesses said the fan used a racially degrading term during the encounter. It was an unsettling flashpoint after a rivalry game that had already been decided on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Finebaum Defends Kalen DeBoer After Alabamas Painful Georgia Finish
The conversation around Alabamas narrow loss to Georgia did not end with the final whistle, especially after the late fourth-quarter pass interference no call drew immediate heat. Paul Finebaum jumped in on the officiating, saying the SEC had some explaining to do after what he called a terrible miss in a 20-17 finish that left plenty for Crimson Tide fans to stew over.
Kalen DeBoer also came out of the game with some praise attached to his response in the moment, with Finebaum commending the Alabama coach for how he handled the calls as the pressure mounted. For a program that expected a measuring-stick game and got a painful ending instead, the focus now sits on both the officiating controversy and the way DeBoer carried himself through it. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama's Georgia Loss Turned On One Infuriating Late Sequence
Georgias 20-17 win at Bryant-Denny Stadium was more than another SEC heavyweight fight, because it finally gave Georgia a regular-season victory over Alabama for the first time since 2007. The Crimson Tide had the kind of game that could have gone either way, and Kalen DeBoers choice late in the first half to chase a touchdown instead of taking the field goal loomed as one of the defining decisions on a night when every point felt like it mattered.
Alabama still had a chance to escape with a signature win before the finish turned messy. Instead, the closing sequence left the Tide staring at a controversial no-call on potential pass interference and a personal foul on Dijon Lee Jr. that kept Georgias final drive alive, a brutal ending in a game decided by the smallest margins. [Read more 🡒]