The Georgia Bulldogs (11-1, 7-1 SEC) finished the regular season with a 38-7 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday. With 12 games now in the books, the Dawgs set their eyes on the SEC Championship Game. But despite being one of two teams set to square off for the SEC title, Georgia isn’t in the top two of the SEC Country Power Poll.
The 2017 SEC Country Power Poll voters placed Georgia in the No. 3 spot behind the No. 2 Alabama Crimson and the No. 1 Auburn Tigers. The Bulldogs will face Auburn in the SEC Championship Game. This is the third consecutive week Georgia has been ranked third in the SEC Country Power Poll.
Georgia moved up a spot in the two traditional polls, jumping from No. 7 to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 and coaches poll. But the Dawgs will have to wait until Tuesday to find out where they rank in the College Football Playoff rankings, which determines the four teams that will compete in the College Football Playoff.
The Bulldogs were ranked No. 7 in the CFP rankings last week and could move up thanks to losses by No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Miami over the weekend. Although those losses may not be enough to move Georgia into the top four this week, the Dawgs likely control their own CFP destiny. The SEC Championship Game against Auburn should serve as a de facto CFP quarterfinal, with the winner advancing to the final four and the loser out of contention.
The SEC Championship Game is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. ET this Saturday, Dec. 2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and it will be a Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry rematch. Auburn beat Georgia 40-17 when they squared off at Jordan-Hare Stadium in early November.
“Our kids have played really hard. They’ve gotten better throughout the year,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after the win against Georgia Tech. “They’ve bought into what we’re trying to do as a program. We’re really excited about where we are, and we’ve got a challenge next week.”
Your Week 13 Power Poll rankings
| RANK | TEAM | POINTS | 1ST PLACEVOTES | PREV | HIGHVOTE | LOWVOTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn (10 - 4) | 286 | 22 | 211 | ||
| 2 | Alabama (13 - 1) | 256 | 0 | 123 | ||
| 3 | Georgia (13 - 2) | 250 | 0 | 323 | ||
| 4 | LSU (9 - 4) | 220 | 0 | 544 | ||
| 5 | Mississippi State (9 - 4) | 187 | 0 | 458 | ||
| 6 | South Carolina (9 - 4) | 162 | 0 | 6510 | ||
| 7 | Texas A&M (7 - 6) | 151 | 0 | 7510 | ||
| 8 | Missouri (7 - 6) | 133 | 0 | 8510 | ||
| 9 | Kentucky (7 - 6) | 107 | 0 | 9612 | ||
| 10 | Ole Miss (6 - 6) | 103 | 0 | 11613 | ||
| 11 | Florida (4 - 7) | 63 | 0 | 10813 | ||
| 12 | Arkansas (4 - 8) | 47 | 0 | 12814 | ||
| 13 | Vanderbilt (5 - 7) | 36 | 0 | 141113 | ||
| 14 | Tennessee (4 - 8) | 1 | 0 | 131314 |
This week's voters:Alex Hickey (SEC Country)Alex Martin Smith (SEC Country)Andrew Astleford (SEC Country)Ben Wolk (SEC Country)Blake MorganBrandon Walker (SEC Country)Chip Towers (DawgNation)Chris Kirschner (SEC Country)Christopher Walsh (SEC Country)Eric Bolin (SEC Country)Joe Mussatto (SEC Country)Jordan Mcpherson (SEC Country)Justin Ferguson (SEC Country)Ken Bradley (SEC Country)Lauren Shute (SEC Country)Marq Burnett (SEC Country)Mike Griffith (SEC Country)Nick SussPete ScantleburySam SpiegelmanThomas Neumann (SEC Country)Trent Shadid (SEC Country)