Georgia took the No. 2 spot and turned it into a statement.
Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs rolled into Ole Miss and left with a 42-7 win, the kind of lopsided result that should send them to No. 1 when the College Football Playoff rankings are unveiled Tuesday night on ESPN. It was the latest example of Georgia doing what Ohio State, BYU and Notre Dame could not do over the past three weeks: win while sitting second in the country.
The trend had been ugly for the teams at No. 2.
Georgia was the last one to get it done, beating Alabama four weeks ago. After that, Ohio State fell to USC, BYU lost to UCF and Notre Dame dropped a game to BYU.
Georgia ended the run in emphatic fashion.
Even Pat McAfee didn’t see this coming. He was wrong.
What Georgia did in Oxford was more than just a win. The Bulldogs controlled the game from the opening stretch and never let Ole Miss settle in.
It was the most dominant performance of the season, and it came after Georgia had already handled Florida coming out of a bye week. Some teams wilt after a loss to an unranked opponent.
Georgia responded by sharpening up and then flattening Ole Miss on the road.
Smart has never cared much about the rankings, and he certainly didn’t coach like a man worried about them here. He pushed his team through the week, kept the edge high on the sideline, and got the kind of response coaches dream about after adversity. His energy never dipped, and neither did Georgia’s.
The Bulldogs got big contributions across the board. Gunner Stockton put together one of the best games of his career and protected the football.
Chris Cole had his coming-out moment for the Butkus award. Talyn Taylor stepped forward as the go-to target at wide receiver.
Time after time, players on both sides of the ball matched the standard Smart demanded.
With Notre Dame knocking off top-ranked Miami and both BYU and Ohio State continuing to lose, the path to the top of the rankings looks clear. Georgia didn’t just win Saturday.
It broke the No. 2 curse and made a strong case that it belongs at No. 1.
In Other News...
Georgia Fans Got An Ugly Glimpse Of The Oxford Atmosphere
Georgias trip to Oxford brought the usual SEC road-game heat, but the atmosphere turned uglier after a pass interference call went against Ole Miss. Fans in the stands responded by throwing trash and bottles onto the field, forcing a pause in the game while stadium officials and officers worked to calm things down and get the crowd to stop.
For Georgia supporters, it was a jarring look at just how volatile that environment can get when the tension spikes. The incident quickly spread across social media, where fans and observers weighed in on the scene and the broader behavior in the stadium, adding another layer to a rivalry setting that already carried plenty of edge. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Fans Wont Like What The SEC Just Did To Sanford Stadium
Georgias trip to Ole Miss ended in a 42-7 rout, and now the Bulldogs are headed back to Sanford Stadium for a home date with Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 14. The matchup is set for 3:30 p.m. EST, with ABC carrying the broadcast and streaming available through the ESPN app and Fubo TV.
The timing and setup only add to the intrigue for Georgia fans, who will see their team return home as a sizable favorite. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Bulldogs laying 13.5 points, a number that reflects both the recent blowout in Oxford and the expectation that Georgia should be in control again in Athens. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Defense Turned Ole Miss One-Dimensional From The Opening Series
From the opening series, Georgias defense made Ole Miss look like a team trying to solve a problem with one hand tied behind its back. The Bulldogs were disruptive from the start, piling up pressure on Trinidad Chambliss, forcing him off his spot and repeatedly knocking the Rebels behind the chains with sacks and tackles for loss on the way to a 42-7 win.
Kewan Lacys absence only sharpened the imbalance, leaving Ole Miss without its injured tailback and putting even more on Chambliss to carry the offense. Georgia never gave him much room to settle in, and the Rebels spent most of the afternoon chasing the game rather than threatening to change it. [Read more 🡒]