ESPN “College GameDay” analyst Rece Davis released his top 10 college football rankings after championship weekend. Davis is an Associated Press voter and made a few changes after conference championship week ended.
The Georgia Bulldogs headed to Atlanta to face the Texas Longhorns in the SEC championship game. The game was tight the whole way through, even with Georgia losing Carson Beck to injury in the second half.
The Bulldogs had the lead and the ball with less than four minutes left to go in the fourth quarter, but backup Gunner Stockton threw an interception, and Texas kicked a field goal to sent it to overtime tied 16-16. In overtime, Texas could only muster a field goal, while Georgia’s Trevor Etienne scored the game-winning touchdown to win 22-19.
As a result, Georgia earns the No. 2 seed, a first-round bye, and a trip to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on New Year’s Day. The Bulldogs rank second on Rece Davis’ rankings. Despite the loss, the Texas Longhorns rank third on Davis’ rankings.
Davis’ rankings have some controversy to them. The Big Ten championship game featured Oregon and Penn State. While the Nittany Lions offense was good, it couldn’t keep up with the Ducks, and Penn State lost 45-37. Davis put Oregon at the top spot of the rankings, but Penn State fell to No. 7, behind Tennessee, Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Controversy is even more extreme with Rece Davis. The ACC championship game featuring Clemson and SMU was a whirlwind. Clemson built a 31-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Mustangs rattled off 17 unanswered points to tie it with 16 seconds left. Then, the Tigers returned the kickoff to the Clemson 41-yard line, and Cade Klubnik threw an 18-yard dime to set up Clemson kicker Noah Hauser for a game-winning 56-yard field goal.
Despite the ACC championship outcome, Davis didn’t vote either SMU or Clemson in the top 10. Neither did he vote Arizona State, the Big 12 champion, in the top 10 either. Instead, he voted the Miami Hurricanes at No. 10. Alabama and Ole Miss make up spots No. 11 and 12, respectively.
The schedule for bowls is officially out, so Rece Davis’ final rankings will not come out for at least another month. Georgia Bulldogs fans are hoping that they’re on top of the rankings then!
Rece Davis’ top 10 college football rankings after Week 15:
- Oregon Ducks
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Texas Longhorns
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Boise State Broncos
- Miami Hurricanes