Georgia knows its end goal is to be the No. 1 team at the end of the season. But as of Nov. 2, the first day of the College Football Playoff rankings, the Bulldogs will find themselves atop the inital College Football Playoff rankings.
The Bulldogs are the consensus top team in the country, as they have been ranked as the No. 1 team in both the Coaches and AP Poll for the past four weeks.
Georgia’s 34-7 thrashing of Florida only helped further cement its status as the top team in the country. Multiple national media members shared that sentiment heading into Tuesday’s rankings.
“The Bulldogs are the dominant team in college football so far this season,” CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm said. “They have an elite defense that has yet to give up more than 13 points in a game. Most recently, Georgia forced three turnovers in 3 minutes late in the first half against Florida.”
The defense is perhaps the biggest reason many see Georgia as the clear favorite for the national title. The group does it all, as the Bulldogs force turnovers, generate pressure and prevent big plays better than just about everyone in the country.
Many thought Florida’s offense would give Georgia a challenge, as the Gators entered the game with the nation’s best yards per carry average. But thanks to the likes of Nolan Smith, Travon Walker and many others Florida’s offense was ground into dust. The Gators accumulated a season-low 355 yards while scoring their only points with just over 2 minutes left in the game.
“Georgia’s defense is too good, even for the high-powered Crimson Tide, as evidenced by its flurry of knockout blows in the final minutes of the first half in Saturday’s 34-7 victory against Florida,” ESPN’s Mark Schlabach wrote.
The will be some drama entering the first set of rankings, as a number of teams have legitimate cases for inclusion into the top 4. Alabama, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Oregon will be the names to monitor going forward, as they seem like the most likely candidates to join Georgia in a potential College Football Playoff field.
“With Georgia seemingly a lock for the No. 1 spot, Cincinnati could be ranked as high as No. 2, but Bearcats fans need to brace themselves for a spot on the bubble, as well,” ESPN’s Heather Dinich wrote. “The committee likely will be comparing the Bearcats against Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Ohio State and Oregon.”
However, there shouldn’t be much drama left in Georgia’s regular season. The Bulldogs have already wrapped the SEC East and none of the four remaining regular-season teams figure to present a significant challenge to the Bulldogs.
For example, Georgia is a 39-point favorite against visiting Missouri this weekend.
“It’s really a steppingstone,” Georgia wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint said on winning the SEC East. “It’s a huge accomplishment for us but it’s not our main accomplishment. We still have a long way to go. We’re still working on trying to get to the end goals we want to get.”
None of Georgia’s final four remaining teams figure to be ranked on Tuesday night. As for the College Football Playoff rankings that will debut at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Georgia should have wins over ranked foes in Auburn and Kentucky.
The game against Missouri this Saturday is set for a 12 p.m. ET start on ESPN.
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