In the latest CFP (College Football Playoff) rankings, the Georgia Bulldogs are sitting in the top spot. When the initial CFP rankings came out, Georgia was second to the Ohio State Buckeyes. At the time, it was controversial considering Georgia was the top ranked team in the AP Poll.
Does Georgia deserve the top spot? Can they keep it? Do they have to keep winning? We will answer all of those questions and more.
Taking the Top Spot
One of the main arguments against the Georgia Bulldogs before last week was their resume. Up until two weeks ago, they had not played a team currently sitting in the Top 25 all season. However, they have had a chance to show what they are made of in these last two weeks.
They faced off against the Missouri Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels in that stretch. Georgia won by just nine points against Missouri. However, they annihilated Ole Miss in last week’s 52-17 win.
That second win arguably put Georgia over the top. It showed the CFP committee that they not only can take down top teams but are better than some of them by a wide margin. This is not something that Ohio State has done just yet.
Ohio State has had two true tests this season. Their first was a road win against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Quite frankly, they were lucky to win that game considering the amount of egregious errors Notre Dame made in that game.
Then, they had to beat the Penn State Nittany Lions at home. While Ohio State managed to do this, it was a grueling 20-12 win. The Buckeyes won those two tests by a combined nine points. Considering Georgia beat Ole Miss alone by 35 points, it became clear that they were worthy of the top spot.
Looking Ahead
Now that Georgia has the top spot, the challenge is going to be keeping it. Admittedly, the second and third ranked teams in the Top 25 (Ohio State and Michigan) are playing each other in two weeks. There can be an argument made that the winner of that game might be in discussion again for the top spot.
However, Georgia will have more opportunities to show just how good they are. They go on the road to face the Tennessee Volunteers this Saturday. Tennessee fell to 18th in this week’s CFP rankings after losing to Missouri last Saturday.
Then, Georgia goes on the road again to face Georgia Tech. After that, they will play in the SEC Championship. It will likely be against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Georgia Bulldogs may have the top spot for now but the pressure is still on to win every remaining game on their schedule. There is strong competition among the top eight teams for playoff spots. Plus, if Alabama beats them in the SEC Championship, it could put Georgia at risk of missing out on the playoffs entirely.
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