Georgia’s move to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff committee’s latest rankings came with a statement win attached.
The Bulldogs jumped to the top spot after rolling past then-No. 19 Ole Miss 42-7 on the road Saturday, and Miami’s loss to now-No.
5 Notre Dame helped clear the path as well. The Hurricanes slid to No. 7, while Utah checked in at No.
2, Alabama at No. 3 and UCLA at No. 4.
That puts Georgia in strong position, but not a finished one. The Bulldogs still have work ahead, starting with a home date against No. 22 Missouri on Saturday.
Georgia has already felt the sting of carrying the No. 1 label at home this season. The last time the Bulldogs hosted a game as the top-ranked team, they fell to Auburn 27-24 and lost their unbeaten status.
Coach Kirby Smart said the approach inside the program won’t change.
“We don’t really get into the highs and the lows and the roller-coaster rides that you guys go on. We don’t,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said.
“I don’t mean that to be negative. We just try to stay as even-keel as we can and just keep getting our roster better.”
Missouri enters Sanford Stadium at 6-3 after a 34-20 loss to Texas last weekend. Georgia is 8-1 and has not lost to Missouri since Smart took over in 2016, but Smart isn’t overlooking the Tigers.
“They’ve got a tremendous team,” Smart said. “They’re playing really well defense and offense.
It’ll be a great challenge for us. I’m glad we get to come home.
I hope that our fans will turn out and support and create these same environments we’ve been seeing on the road. We need that same environment when people come play here.”
Georgia and Missouri will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on ABC, and the Bulldogs also have a road trip to No. 17 South Carolina coming up next.
The rest of the Week 12 College Football Playoff rankings list Georgia, Utah, Alabama, UCLA, Notre Dame, Texas, Miami, Tennessee, Indiana, BYU, Kentucky, Texas Tech, Wake Forest, Houston, Iowa, Oregon, South Carolina, USC, Ole Miss, Ohio State, LSU, Missouri, Arizona, Boise State and Oklahoma State.
The projected playoff matchups have No. 12 Boise State at No.
5 Notre Dame, No. 11 Kentucky at No.
6 Texas, No. 10 BYU at No.
7 Miami and No. 9 Indiana at No.
8 Tennessee.
That would set up No. 1 Georgia against the winner of Indiana-Tennessee, No.
2 Utah against the winner of BYU-Miami, No. 3 Alabama against the winner of Kentucky-Texas and No.
4 UCLA against the winner of Notre Dame-Boise State.
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But the picture changes quickly once the more dangerous names enter the mix. Miami, Alabama and Notre Dame are the sort of draws that would make any projection more complicated for Georgia, and they are exactly the kind of teams that can turn a manageable playoff path into a far tougher road. For now, it is all speculative, but the contrast between the favorable and unfavorable possibilities is what makes Georgias postseason outlook so intriguing. [Read more 🡒]
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Kirby Smart Knows Georgia Is Chasing Something The SEC Wont See Again
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Smart has already acknowledged what the change means, both for the SEC and for the sport as a whole, and he has made it clear that programs have to keep adapting as the landscape shifts. For Georgia, the immediate focus is simple: keep winning and put itself in position to compete for the last SEC Championship Game before the format changes for good. [Read more 🡒]