Tag: CFP projections

Georgia faces Big Ten team in playoff projection after rivalry week

ESPN projects that Georgia will host a Big Ten team in a first-round game of the College Football Playoff

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.

Georgia’s College Football Playoff projection after Week 13

ESPN projects that Georgia will host a College Football Playoff game in their latest projections.

ESPN projects that the Georgia Bulldogs will be ranked No. 7 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. In ESPN’s projections (subscription required), Georgia is expected to be ranked behind No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn State, No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 6 Miami.

Georgia benefited from chaos and upsets across the SEC in Week 13. Florida upset Ole Miss, Texas A&M lost in four overtimes at Auburn and Alabama lost on the road to Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Georgia beat UMass 59-21 and is now beginning to prepare for Georgia Tech.

Georgia has clinched an SEC championship berth, so the Bulldogs control their own playoff destiny. If Georgia beats the winner of the Texas at Texas A&M game in the SEC championship game, then the Bulldogs will clinch a spot in the playoff and would likely end up as the No. 2 seed.

“The Bulldogs were huge winners on Saturday, as they clinched a spot in the SEC title game after both Ole Miss and Alabama lost. It also paved the way for the committee to rank the Bulldogs ahead of both of those teams, rendering the head-to-head results moot for the first time,” said ESPN’s Heather Dinich on projecting Georgia to be ranked No. 7.

Georgia could still end up in the playoff with a loss in the SEC championship (assuming Georgia beats Georgia Tech). Georgia has one of the best résumés in the country.

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“The selection committee will have to seriously consider a three-loss SEC team if the Bulldogs finish as runner-up,” said Dinich. The trouble for Georgia is that both Alabama and Ole Miss have three losses and head to head wins over Georgia, the Bulldogs could end up ranked behind Alabama and Ole Miss again.

ESPN projects that if the season ended today, then Georgia would be the No. 8 seed in the playoff bracket. Georgia would host No. 9 seed Tennessee in the first-round of the playoff. Of course, 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) or as one of the last teams in (or out) of the playoff.

Georgia faces rematch in ESPN’s playoff projections

Who does Georgia play in ESPN’s latest College Football Playoff projections ahead of the Florida game?

The Georgia Bulldogs are coming off a bye week, but they are in a strong position in ESPN’s updated College Football Playoff predictions (subscription required).

ESPN projects Georgia will win the SEC championship and secure the No. 2 seed in the playoff, which results in a first-round bye.

However, Georgia’s path to winning the SEC is not clear. The Bulldogs (4-1 SEC) are behind Texas A&M (5-0) in the SEC standings. Georgia could end the season tied with several other one-loss teams in the SEC. Texas, Tennessee and LSU all have one conference loss. Georgia owns the tie-breaker over Texas thanks to its head-to-head win over the Longhorns.

Georgia plays Tennessee in a few weeks, so that will likely decide if UGA or Tennessee remains in the SEC title race. Georgia does not play LSU, so the next SEC tie-breaker would be record versus common opponents. Georgia and LSU share three common opponents: Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss. Georgia is 0-1 against these three teams; LSU is 1-0.

Georgia’s three remaining SEC games are against Florida, Tennessee and Ole Miss, which offers the Bulldogs a chance to pad their résumé.

“The Bulldogs still own the best résumé in the country,” said Heather Dinnich of ESPN. “According to ESPN’s strength of record metric, the average playoff contender would have a 15% chance to go 6-1 against Georgia’s schedule.”

Georgia has a pair of impressive wins over Clemson and Texas, which are also in ESPN’s projected playoff.

Georgia’s most likely opponent in the playoff is predicted to be the seventh-seeded Texas Longhorns, who Georgia would be playing for a second time. ESPN projects Georgia to face the winner of Texas and No. 10 Boise State.

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The 12-team playoff brings more excitement for more teams in the postseason, but it opens up the possibility of some teams playing each other two or three times in one season.

Georgia faces rematch in CFP projections after win at Texas

Who does Georgia play in ESPN’s latest College Football Playoff projections after UGA’s win at Texas?

The Georgia Bulldogs are the No. 2 seed in ESPN’s latest College Football Playoff predictions (subscription required). In this scenario, Georgia would win the SEC championship game and receive a coveted first-round bye in the playoff.

Georgia’s first opponent is predicted to be the seventh-seeded Texas Longhorns. ESPN projects Georgia to face Texas in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. As the No. 2 seed, Georgia would play the winner of the game between No. 7 Texas and No. 10 BYU or Indiana (ESPN has two projections).

What confuses me about this projection is why is Georgia playing Texas in New Orleans. To my knowledge, the Bulldogs would be able to pick where they play in the quarterfinals as the No. 2 seed. If UGA can control where it plays, the Dawgs will almost certainly pick Atlanta, which is an option for the quarterfinals.

For now, ESPN has Texas ranked as the third-best at-large team behind Ohio State and Penn State. However, if the season ended today based on the SEC standings neither Georgia nor Texas would not make the SEC championship.

“Under my scenario, Georgia and Texas would meet again — possibly for the third time if they face each other in the SEC championship game — in the Sugar Bowl in the quarterfinals,” said Mark Schlabach of ESPN.

The expanded playoff brings more excitement for more teams in the postseason, but it opens up the possibility of some teams playing each other two or three times in one season.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura projects Georgia will play No. 6 Ohio State in the semifinals in Miami. Schlabach has Georgia playing No. 3 Miami in Dallas.

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Both analysts predict Georgia will meet No. 1 Oregon in the national championship. However, with potential games against Texas and Ohio State, there’s no guarantee the Bulldogs will advance to the title game.

Where is Georgia in CFP projections ahead of Week 4

Georgia football is no longer predicted to win the SEC and would have to play in the first round of the playoff in ESPN’s latest projections

The Georgia Bulldogs are the No. 5 seed in ESPN’s latest College Football Playoff projections. Georgia is not projected to win the SEC anymore.

Instead, ESPN’s Heather Dinich (subscription required) predicts that the Texas Longhorns will win the SEC and secure the No. 1 seed in the playoff.

“Texas has one of the best wins in the country to date (at Michigan) and continues to roll while last week’s No. 1 seed, Georgia, struggled to beat a mediocre Kentucky team on the road,” said Dinich. “According to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, Texas is the most likely team to make the playoff (91%) and win it (22%).”

Fortunately, the battle for the SEC will be decided on the field and not via the Allstate Playoff Predictor. Georgia, who has a bye in Week 4, will play a critical game for the playoff bracket against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sept. 28. Additionally, Georgia is slated to play at Texas in October.

Georgia would play the No. 12 seed in ESPN’s projected playoff. The Bulldogs would host No. 12 Northern Illinois in Sanford Stadium. Georgia would be heavily favored against Northern Illinois and if UGA won, then the Bulldogs would face No. 4 Kansas State at a neutral site.

If Georgia were able to defeat Kansas State in the quarterfinals, then the Dawgs would most likely face No. 1 Texas in the semifinals in a potential SEC championship rematch.

USA TODAY’s projection of the College Football Playoff isn’t great for Notre Dame

Not what any of us want to hear

The loss to Northern Illinois is going to haunt the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team through this year and beyond.

Many will look back at it as a lost opportunity to make the first 12-team [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] field, if the Irish are unable to get in. Paul Myerberg of the USA TODAY believes that Notre Dame won’t get a chance to compete for a national championship this fall.

He names Georgia, Ohio State, Miami (FL), and Kansas State in order as his four Power-5 teams to earn a bye. Myerberg see the rest of the field shaking out with Texas, Penn State, Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon, Clemson, Utah and Memphis also in order as the other participants.

While he doesn’t name the Irish into his top-12 teams, he did name them as one of the first-four out. Myerberg says that “it will be hard for Notre Dame to shake off the stink of the loss to Northern Illinois,” which could ultimately be the case.

Marcus Freeman knows Notre Dame believed the hype.
Sep 7, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman walks to the sideline in the second quarter against the Northern Illinois Huskies at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

As we have noted before, the Irish have a very slim window to make the CFP, and unfortunately Myerberg is backing up that idea.

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Where is Georgia in playoff projections ahead of Week 3

Georgia football could play the same team twice if things go according to this College Football Playoff projection

The Georgia Bulldogs are the No. 1 seed in College Sports Wire’s latest College Football Playoff projections. Georgia is projected to win the SEC.

Georgia is predicted to win the SEC over several other playoff teams including the No. 5 Texas Longhorns, who are projected to be the highest ranked team that is not a conference champion. College Sports Wire predicts that the Alabama Crimson Tide will be the No. 6 seed and the Ole Miss Rebels will be the No. 7 seed.

Georgia would play the winner of the No. 8 Tennessee versus No. 9 USC game at a neutral site if things go according to these playoff predictions. Georgia hosts Tennessee in the regular season on Nov. 16. If Georgia beat the Tennessee-USC winner, then the Bulldogs would likely play Texas or Utah (the No. 4 seed).

The 12 team playoff will be a lot of fun, but right now Georgia is focusing on its next game. The Bulldogs play on the road at the Kentucky Wildcats in their SEC road opener on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.

“That’s a really tough place to play,” said Georgia head coach Kirby Smart on playing the Kentucky Wildcats in Week 3. “When you go there, as you can see from every time we’ve played there, it’s been really tough. A lot of excitement playing an SEC opponent on the road.”

Yahoo! Sports gives Irish strong College Football Playoff title hopes

Do you agree with Yahoo! here?

The preseason previews continue to roll in, and another outlet has put Notre Dame football in its top-10.

Yahoo! Sports is doing a series on teams that it thinks will be in the newly expanded College Football Playoff, and Nick Bromberg has Notre Dame ranked at No. 7.

Unfortunately, he remind us that while the Irish did lose three games last season, they also played Ohio State more closely than in they year before, and that most of Notre Dame’s wins were blowouts, save for a one-touchdown victory over Duke.

Speaking of Duke, Notre Dame added Riley Leonard as a transfer this year — Leonard was in Durham last season. Bromberg uses the addition of Leonard, the return of a deep core of talent (particularly on defense), and a “manageable” schedule as reasons why the Irish will be in the 12-team field.

Bromberg rightly points out that the offensive line will have to replace three starters and that Florida State and USC are the toughest games on the Irish schedule. That said, even a 10-2 team is likely to qualify for the CFP.

As a reminder, if Notre Dame does make it to the CFP, they aren’t eligible for a first-round bye since those will go to conference champions. The possible highest-seed for the Irish is number five.

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CFP Projections in Week 9: Oregon Ducks soaring up

A look at the newest projections and bowl matchups ahead of Week 9.

Another week of games is in the books which means we are one week closer to the College Football Playoffs.

For the Pac-12, the Oregon Ducks might be the conference’s best chance to land a team in the final four. Even then they will likely need some help with teams ahead of them in the perceived rankings.

With Week 9 set to feature plenty of games with College Football Playoff ramifications, we have the newest CFP rankings and bowl projections. These projections are based on how I feel the committee will view the playoff and not my own personal rankings.

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

College Football Playoff projections after Week 7

A peak at how the top 10 College Football Playoff rankings could look if they were released ahead of Week 8’s action in college football.

Week 8 of the college football season is fast approaching, and as the season progresses the field of teams is starting to make the College Football Playoff picture become clearer. With that being said, there are still a lot of games that will shape which four teams make the final cut.

The top two remain the same this week, but we saw plenty of movement from the other seven slots. The Clemson Tigers also maintained their spot in the rankings ahead of Week 8.

Three teams that were featured last week have fallen out due to their performances on the field. The USC Trojans, Oklahoma State Cowboys, and Penn State Nittany Lions all suffered losses to kick them out of the top 10. This week three new teams make the cut with USC and Oklahoma State now on the outside looking in.

As we move into Week 8, I break down this week’s edition of the CFP top 10 projections. This is how I believe the committee would rank them and not my own top 10.