Georgia’s hold on the top spot is gone, but the Bulldogs are still sitting near the front of the pack.
After losing 27-24 at home to Auburn, Georgia dropped to No. 5 in the latest AP Poll. The Bulldogs were No. 4 in this week’s Coaches Poll.
Miami moved into the No. 1 position, with BYU at No. 2, Ohio State at No. 3 and Notre Dame also listed at No.
The loss was Georgia’s first of the season, and it carried a notable bit of history with it. It was the first time since 1942 that Georgia lost a regular-season game while ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll.
Now the Bulldogs get a break at the right time. Georgia has an off week coming up, and that gives the roster a chance to recover after a physical stretch. KJ Bolden sat out Saturday with a right leg injury, while Nate Frazier was back in the lineup but managed only 19 rushing yards on nine carries.
“We’ve gotta get some guys healthy and back,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “We had about eight or nine guys that really didn’t practice this week, in terms of getting into the game, coming out of the last game.
And we gotta improve, we can’t turn the ball over, we can’t have undisciplined penalties. But we’re really good in some areas.
We got a good defense, we got a good offense, but we gotta get better. I need more players to play winning football.
I need to be able to play more than five in O-lineman. I need to be able to play more people up front than we can count on and be dependable.”
Georgia’s path gets tougher right after the bye. The Bulldogs will face No.
20 Florida in Atlanta, then head on the road to No. 7 Ole Miss on Nov. 7 before coming back home to play No.
22 Missouri on Nov. 14.
Even after the Auburn loss, Georgia still controls its own College Football Playoff fate. The setback just left far less room for error.
AP Poll Top 25 rankings for Week 8:
Miami
Ohio State
BYU
Georgia
Texas Tech
Indiana
Ole Miss
Texas Tech
UCLA
Utah
Tennessee
Kentucky
Alabama
Houston
Iowa
USC
Wake Forest
LSU
Texas
Florida
Boise State
Missouri
SMU
Northwestern
Arizona
In Other News...
Georgia Suddenly Faces A Brutal Reality After Auburn Shocker
Georgias loss to Auburn at home landed with the kind of thud that lingers through a bye week, especially because it snapped a run of success against its in-state rival that had held since 2017. The game turned on a costly late fumble by Gunner Stockton, and Auburn made the most of the opening with a game-winning field goal, leaving the Bulldogs with a result they rarely have to confront on their own field.
Now the focus shifts to what comes next, and it is not forgiving. Georgia comes out of the bye staring at a stretch that will test how quickly it can steady itself, reset the mood and get back on track for the bigger goals that still matter, including the SEC Championship and a path to the College Football Playoff. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Fans Can't Ignore One Worry After Gunner Stockton's Auburn Game
Gunner Stocktons day against Auburn had the kind of mixed bag that can stick with a quarterback long after the final whistle. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 272 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, but the game also included a costly fumble that helped set up Auburns game-winning field goal. Georgia fans could see the production, but they could also see why the afternoon left plenty of unease.
What made the reaction even sharper was the hit Stockton absorbed on the first play of the game, then staying in from there. Even without any official confirmation of a concussion, plenty of Georgia supporters came away wondering whether the quarterback looked fully right after that early collision. For a team already sorting through the aftermath of a frustrating loss, the concern around Stocktons health may end up being just as important as the turnovers on the stat sheet. [Read more 🡒]
No. 1 Georgia Suddenly Faces Big Questions After Rivalry Shock
Auburns 27-24 win over top-ranked Georgia was the kind of rivalry jolt that lingers well beyond the final whistle. It snapped Georgias nine-game winning streak in the series and handed the Bulldogs their first home loss to an unranked team since 2019, a reminder that even in a familiar setting, the margin for error in this matchup can disappear fast. Gunner Stockton did enough to keep Georgia in it, throwing for 272 yards and two touchdowns, but the game kept tilting back and forth as both defenses made timely plays.
For Georgia, the numbers only tell part of the story. Auburn moved the ball for 366 yards and kept finding answers whenever the Bulldogs threatened to pull away, turning the afternoon into a test of execution, composure and missed chances. The loss leaves the Bulldogs with bigger questions than usual after a game that featured multiple lead changes and a finish that should keep this one on the staffs mind for a while. [Read more 🡒]