Georgia became college football’s overtime kings on Saturday, beating Texas 22-19 in the extra period to capture the SEC Championship Game.

The Bulldogs, winners of two OT games in a row — topping rival Georgia Tech 44-42 in 8 overtimes the week before — have a well-earned bye in the 12-team College Football Playoffs and will next play at 8:45 p.m. on Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

The CFP Selection Committee will release its final rankings at noon on Sunday, which will lead to the seedings that will set up the 12-team bracket.

ESPN projects Georgia will play the winner of Notre Dame playing host to Indiana in a first-round game, but it’s possble Penn State or Texas might face the Hoosiers, depending on the rankings and seedings.

DawgNation will have live programming at 11:45 a.m with Brandon Adams hosting and team reporters providing insights and analysis on what the future holds for UGA football.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart was caught up in the moment after the No. 5-ranked Bulldogs’ triumphed over No. 2 Texas with back-up quarterback Gunner Stockton and a stingy defense.

“It means rest for a team that Greg Sankey and his staff sent on the road all year long,” Smart said with the SEC commissioner standing nearby at the trophy stand.

“We get to take a little bit of a break and get ready for the college football playoffs.”

Georgia had the No. 1 strength of schedule throughout the season, playing a murderous slate that included road trips to a then-No. 4 Alabama, a then-No. 1-ranked Texas and a then-No. 13 Ole Miss team, along with a neutral site win over ACC Championship Game winner Clemson and Top 10-ranked Tennessee.

Up Next

Georgia (11-2) will next play a yet-to-be-determined opponent at 8:45 p.m. on Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

The top-four ranked conference champions earn byes in the 12-team CFP, with the SEC champion contracted to play in the Sugar Bowl, and the Big Ten champion contracted to play in the Rose Bowl. Two other conference champs will play in the Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 31) and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Jan. 1).

The 12-team playoffs open with first-round games on Dec. 20 and Dec. 21 at campus sites, with the winners advancing to the CFP Quarterfinals. The No. 5 seed will play the No. 12 seed, No. 6 plays No. 11, No. 7 plays No. 10 and No. 8 plays No. 9.

Oregon and Georgia will almost surely be the top two seeds in the 12-team CFP.

The Ducks will play the winner of the on-campus first-round game between the No. 8 seed and the No. 9 seed, which projects to be Tennessee playing at Ohio State.

The Bulldogs will play the winner of the No. 7 seed and No. 10 seed, which includes several possibilities in the No. 7 spot and likely Indiana in the No. 10 seed position.

It seems unlikely (though not impossible), based on the CFP Selection Committee’s trends, that the fifth-highest ranked conference champ -- likely either No. 15 Arizona State (11-2) or No. 17 Clemson (10-3), would jump the currently No. 9-ranked Hoosiers (11-1).

League title game losers vs. Notre Dame

It’s likely No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Penn State or No. 4-ranked Notre Dame will be seeded 5-6-7 -- the order to be decided by the CFP committee -- with Ohio State seeded No. 8, Tennessee seeded at No. 9 and Indiana at No. 10.

That would mean its possible the Bulldogs and the Longhorns could play yet again — for a third time — in the Sugar Bowl if Texas is seeded No. 7 and beats the Hoosiers in Austin on Dec. 20 or Dec. 21.

But it could also be Penn State or Notre Dame playing host to Indiana on Dec. 20 or Dec 21 with a Sugar Bowl trip and meeting with Georgia on the line.

It all depends on how -- after the top four seeds are claimed by the top-four ranked conference champions -- the CFP Selection Committee ranks:

• the Longhorns (11-2),

• the Nittany Lions (11-2) and,

• the Irish (11-1,) idle, no conference championship game to play in.

Fiesta and Chick-fil-A Peach

The Fiesta Bowl and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will take the other top-ranked conference champions in the No. 3 and No. 4-seeded positions.

The No. 3-seed (current rankings suggest 12-1 Mountain West Conference champ Boise State) would await the winner of the game between the No. 6 and No. 11 seed in the Fiesta Bowl, while the No. 4 seed (Clemson or Arizona State, depending on who is ranked higher) will play in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against the winner of the game between the No. 5 and No. 12 seeds.

At this time, Notre Dame, Texas or Penn State will occupy the No. 5 or No. 6 seeded-positions, and play the projected No. 11 and No. 12 seeds in an on-campus, first-round game.

CFP Team Final Scores

Number 10-ranked Boise State beat No. 20 UNLV 21-7 on Friday night in the Mountain West Conference Championship Game.

Number 15 Arizona State defeated No. 16 Iowa State, 45-19, in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday.

Number 5 Georgia beat No. 2 Texas, 22-19 (OT) in the SEC Championship Game

Number 1 Oregon beat No. 3 Penn State, 45-37, in the Big Ten Championship Game

Number 17 Clemson beat No. 8 SMU, 37-34, in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday night.

It could be a challenge for the 13-member CFP Selection committee to sort out the rankings of the conference champions after Oregon and Georgia claim the top two seeds.

Which two teams get ranked higher, and claim first-round byes, between: Boise State, Arizona State and Clemson?

CFP Committee chairman Warde Manuel said last Tuesday the teams not playing in championship games would not be moved around in the rankings.

At one point, Manuel said, “We’re not going backwards” with the rankings.

Does Alabama get in?

The other question the CFP committee will have to answer is who gets the final at-large spot.

SMU lost on a last-second field goal after coming from 17 points down to tie Clemson in the final minute.

Will the Mustangs drop below a No. 11-ranked Alabama team that finished the season 9-3 and did not play in a conference championship game?

Former Alabama quarterback and ESPN analyst Greg McElroy said SMU should get into the College Football Playoffs ahead of the Crimson Tide.

“I don’t think anyone could come out of this thinking SMU doesn’t belong,” said McElroy, who was on the call for the Clemson-SMU thriller. “The committee has a very dangerous precedent that could be set if SMU is left out. Your de-incentivizing the conference championship games.

“The conference championship game is supposed to be a reward.”

Conventional wisdom suggests SMU will indeed get in over Alabama, as the CFP committee has said it’s not their intention to “punish” championship game losers.

That said, Manuel also said that the commissioners have asked the CFP committee to evaluate the teams with their conference championship game performances included.

ESPN projections

ESPN projections the first-round of the CFP will feature:

No. 12-seed Clemson playing at No. 5 seed Penn State, with the winner advancing to play Arizona State, in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

No. 11-seed SMU playing at No. 6 seed Texas, with the winner advancing to play Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

No. 10-seed Indiana playing at No. 7 seed Notre Dame, with the winner advancing to play Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

No. 9-seed Tennessee playing at No. 8 seed Ohio State, with the winner advancing to play Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

Here’s a look at how the teams were ranked entering the conference championship game weekend, and the results:

(Will be updated)

1. Oregon 12-0 (Beat Penn State 45-37, Big Ten title game)

2. Texas 11-2 (Lost 22-19 OT to Georgia, SEC title game)

3. Penn State 11-1 (Lost 45-37 to Oregon, Big Ten title game)

4. Notre Dame 11-1 (hosting first-round CFP game)

5. Georgia 11-2 (Beat Texas, 22-19 OT SEC title game)

6. Ohio State 10-2 (first-round CFP game)

7. Tennessee 10-2 (first-round CFP game)

8. SMU 11-1 (Lost 34-31 to Clemson, ACC title game)

9. Indiana 11-1 (first-round CFP game)

10. Boise State 12-1 (Beat UNLV 21-7, MWC title game)

11. Alabama 9-3 (TBD)

12. Miami 10-2 (bowl game)

13. Ole Miss 9-3 (bowl game)

14. South Carolina 9-3 (bowl game)

15. Arizona State 11-2 (Beat Iowa State 45-19, Big 12 title game)

16. Iowa State 10-3 (Lost to Arizona State 45-19, Big 12 title game)

17. Clemson 9-3 (Beat SMU 34-31, ACC title game)

18. BYU 10-2 (bowl game)

19. Missouri 9-3 (bowl game)

20. UNLV 10-2 (Lost 31-7 to Boise State, MWC title game)

21. Illinois 9-3 (bowl game)

22. Syracuse 9-3 (bowl game)

23. Colorado 9-3 (bowl game)

24. Army 10-1 (Beat Tulane 35-14, AAC title game)

25. Memphis 10-2 (bowl game)

2024-25 College Football Playoff schedule, dates, TV channel, sites

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