ESPN projects that the Georgia Bulldogs will be ranked No. 5 in the updated College Football Playoff rankings. Georgia is coming off a miraculous eight overtime win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Week 14.
In ESPN’s projections (subscription required), Georgia is expected to be ranked behind No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Penn State, and No. 4 Notre Dame.
“The Bulldogs should jump up two spots thanks to losses by both Ohio State and Miami,” said ESPN’s Heather Dinich on her playoff projections for Georgia. Ohio State, who was previously ranked No. 2, and Miami, the previous No. 6 team, both lost during rivalry week. As a result, Dinich projects Georgia to move up from the No. 7 slot.
Georgia is projected to be the nation’s top ranked two-loss team, which bodes well for the Bulldogs. Georgia’s season isn’t over yet. The Bulldogs play against No. 2 Texas in the 2024 SEC championship game.
If the season ended today, then Georgia would be the No. 7 seed in the playoff bracket, according to ESPN. Georgia would host the No. 10 seed Indiana Hoosiers in the first-round of the playoff.
However, Georgia will either win or lose in the SEC championship, so the Bulldogs would likely end up as either the No. 2 seed (with a first-round bye) with win. With a loss, Georgia could miss the playoff, but that would be very unlikely. The Bulldogs have a 99.4% chance to make the 12-team playoff.
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If Georgia falls to Texas, then it would be interesting to see if the Dawgs drop far in the playoff rankings. Of course, a lot of that would depend on the magnitude of UGA’s loss. The last thing Georgia wants is to be grouped with three-loss SEC teams in Alabama and Ole Miss, who both beat Georgia earlier this season.