Georgia should be the new No. 1 when the College Football Playoff rankings are released Tuesday night, and the Bulldogs earned that climb the hard way.
They went into Oxford and turned a marquee matchup into a rout, rolling past No. 10 Ole Miss 42-7 behind a complete performance on both sides of the ball.
Georgia was in command from the opening stretch, built a 28-0 halftime cushion and never let the Rebels breathe. Gunner Stockton threw four touchdown passes and added another score on the ground, while the Bulldogs averaged 7.6 yards per play and kept quarterback Trinidad Chambliss in check.
The win also snapped Ole Miss’ 16-game home winning streak.
Georgia’s jump to the top comes after No. 1 Miami fell 31-24 at No.
11 Notre Dame. The Irish’s win was their 10th straight at home and gives them a strong case for the 12-team CFP field, especially with no ranked opponent left on their schedule among the final three games.
Still, the committee has some sorting to do after Notre Dame picked up its first win over a ranked team this season and its second over a team with a record above .500.
The rankings picture gets even messier near the top because Utah and UCLA both made noise Saturday. Utah stayed unbeaten at 9-0 with a 28-20 win over No.
9 BYU in the “Holy War,” and could rise from No. 3 to No. 2.
But UCLA is also sitting at 9-0 after a 34-20 win at Minnesota, and the committee will have to decide how much weight to give that perfect record. That same Minnesota team had given Indiana a much tougher fight last week, with the Hoosiers needing overtime to escape with a 23-16 home win.
Alabama stayed firmly in the mix with a 31-13 win at LSU, while Texas remained in the SEC two-loss group after a 34-20 win at Missouri. Tennessee also made a major statement, hammering No.
6 Kentucky 34-6 and setting itself up for a big move from No. 13.
The Vols also have that 26-10 win over current No. 6 Alabama from Oct. 17, a result that could complicate the committee’s “pod” approach to teams with similar records.
The committee will also have to decide how far Miami and BYU fall after losses to teams ahead of them, while Iowa’s 24-10 road win at Northwestern helped its case. Wake Forest and Texas Tech remained in the one-loss Power 4 conversation entering Saturday, with Texas Tech’s late game against West Virginia still pending.
Here’s how the rankings should look Tuesday night:
- Georgia (8-1)
Won at No. 10 Ole Miss, 42-7
- Utah (9-0)
Beat No. 9 BYU, 28-20
- UCLA (9-0)
Won at Minnesota, 34-20
- Alabama (7-2)
Won at LSU, 31-13
- Indiana (8-1)
Bye
- Notre Dame (8-1)
Beat No 1 Miami, 31-24
- Texas (7-2)
Won at No. 18 Missouri, 34-20
- Tennessee (7-2)
Beat Kentucky, 34-6
- Miami (8-1)
Lost at No. 11 Notre Dame, 31-24
- BYU (7-2)
Lost at No. 3 Utah, 28-20
- Iowa (7-2)
Won at Northwestern, 24-10
- Texas Tech 7-1
Vs. West Virginia, late
- Wake Forest (8-1)
Beat Merrimack, 77-0
- Kentucky (7-2)
Lost at No. 13 Tennessee, 34-6
- Oregon (6-3)
Won at No. 12 Ohio State, 41-28
- Houston (7-2)
Beat Cincinnati , 31-24
- South Carolina (6-3)
Beat Texas A&M, 17-9
- USC (7-2)
Bye
- Ole Miss 6-3
Lost to No. 2 Georgia, 42-7
- Boise State (8-1)
Won at Colorado State, 64-38
- Ohio State (6-3)
Lost to No. 23 Oregon, 41-28
- LSU (6-3)
Lost to No 5 Alabama, 31-13
- Missouri (6-3)
Lost to No. 7 Texas, 34-20
- Arizona (7-2)
Beat TCU, 29-28
- Oklahoma State (6-3)
Won at Kansas State, 66-28
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 🡒]