Georgia’s stumble against Auburn didn’t knock the Bulldogs off the national title board, but an Ohio State injury just moved them to the front of the line.
The Buckeyes had been sitting atop the national championship odds, with Georgia right behind them. Then Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin injured his throwing arm against Indiana this past week and has since been ruled out indefinitely.
That shift flipped the top of the board, sending Georgia to +470 and dropping Ohio State to +480. Notre Dame follows at +500, with Miami at +700 and Indiana at +800.
Ohio State’s case still has some life on paper. The Buckeyes escaped Indiana with a 19-15 win, improving to 6-1 and keeping their season in range despite the loss at Texas in Week 2.
That one still stings: Ohio State led by 20 heading into the fourth quarter before letting it slip away. Now, though, the bigger issue is whether they can get through the rest of the season without their starter under center.
Their backup is largely an unknown, and the first real test comes right away. Ohio State heads to No.
16 USC on Halloween for his first start. After that, the Buckeyes have only one other ranked opponent left on the schedule, which leaves the door open for a playoff berth even if Sayin is unavailable the rest of the way.
Still, that kind of path doesn’t automatically make Ohio State a threat Georgia has to circle. Even if the Buckeyes survive and reach the playoff, it’s tough to picture them beating the Bulldogs from here.
That’s part of what makes the new odds feel a little odd. Georgia probably would have made more sense as the favorite after taking down Alabama two weeks ago.
Winning on the road in the SEC is hard enough, and Tuscaloosa is about as difficult a place to win as there is. The Bulldogs went in there and beat the Tide behind one of Gunner Stockton’s best performances.
Then came Auburn. Georgia lost at home in the biggest upset of the weekend, and while the Bulldogs remain very much in the championship mix, that defeat exposed some things they hadn’t shown all year. Seeing them move to the top of the odds board three days later doesn’t exactly line up with what happened on the field.
In the end, the number beside Georgia’s name doesn’t decide anything. The Bulldogs’ priority is cleaning up the mistakes that cost them against Auburn and getting ready for Florida in two weeks.
In Other News...
Georgias QB Outlook Just Got More Complicated After Auburn
Gunner Stocktons day at Auburn briefly took an uneasy turn when he was removed from the game after taking an early hit, though he was back soon after and finished the contest. Kirby Smart said Stockton was not dealing with a concussion, but he did suffer a stinger, a reminder that even a short-lived injury can add another layer to the quarterback discussion around Georgia.
The bigger concern, though, was what happened once Stockton stayed on the field. He turned the ball over three times, the first time in his career he has done that in a single game, and it comes at a moment when the Bulldogs are trying to settle the position with more certainty. Between the physical scare and the turnovers, Georgias quarterback picture suddenly feels a little less settled than it did before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Just Lost A Key Defender As Georgia Watches Closely
Auburn is down a key piece on defense heading into its matchup with Georgia, after linebacker Xavier Atkins was dismissed from the football program following his suspension for the game. Coach Alex Golesh said Atkins was not with the team for the contest and that his situation would be revisited later, leaving the Tigers to adjust without one of their linebackers at a time when depth matters most.
Atkins added another layer to the situation by announcing on social media that he intends to enter the transfer portal after the semester ends. For Georgia, it is the kind of roster development that can quietly matter on the edge of a rivalry game, even if the full impact on Auburns defense is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Blew A Winnable Home Game In The Most Frustrating Way
Georgia had chances to settle things down at home, but the night unraveled in the most familiar kind of way for a frustrating loss: penalties, turnovers and missed chances against Auburn. Even with Craig Dandridge giving the passing game a spark with 88 receiving yards and Raylen Wilson piling up 10 solo tackles, including a sack, the Bulldogs could never quite regain control of a game that kept slipping further away.
The bigger sting is how the defeat fit into an increasingly uncomfortable pattern for Kirby Smarts program. Auburn got enough done to expose Georgias mistakes, and Byrum Browns 115 rushing yards wound up topping the Bulldogs entire offense, a telling sign of how little rhythm Georgia found when it mattered most. For a team that expects to protect its home field, this was the sixth home loss under Smart, and it left plenty of room for questions about how a winnable game turned so sideways. [Read more 🡒]