Two-time defending national champion Georgia is officially at the mercy of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee after the No. 1 Bulldogs defeated No. 8 Alabama in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday. The loss was Georgia’s first since losing to Alabama on the same stage two years ago. Even though the Bulldogs are now sitting on a 12-1 logjam with no conference title to show for it, Georgia coach Kirby Smart believes his team has still done more than enough to secure a playoff spot, after topping the polls at 12-0 on Saturday.
“Bill Hancock said, ‘It’s not the teams with the most merit, it’s the four best teams,'” Smart told CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd after the loss in the SEC Championship Game. “If that [Georgia] It’s not one of the top four teams out there. I don’t think any man or woman on the committee doesn’t believe it’s one of the top four teams to get there.
While the Bulldogs can rely on the fact that the SEC has never missed the playoffs and both Georgia and Alabama have qualified for the CFP twice in the same season (2017, 2021), the Bulldogs are still far from a lock, which emerges from the defeat of the Crimson Tide. Washington is the only Power Five team to finish as undefeated conference champions after winning the Pac-12 on Friday, and could edge out No. 2 Michigan of the Big Ten and No. 4 Florida State in that regard the ACC is supported. An undefeated Power Five team has never been eliminated from the playoffs.
If that scenario were to occur, there would likely be one spot left for a 12-1 team. That’s where things get complicated. Alabama has both the head-to-head and conference titles ahead of Georgia, but the Crimson Tide’s only loss in 2023 came against No. 7 Texas, which emerged as the 12-1 conference champion on Saturday after It had defeated No. 18 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship game.
Although Smart’s assertion that the committee is tasked with selecting the four “best” teams is correct, the committee’s listed criteria for selecting this group specifically state that significant weight is given to head-to-head results and championships. Compared to Alabama and Texas, Georgia cannot win a championship or win outright. The SEC push may be a saving grace, but the Dawgs probably still need some chaos to spread elsewhere on Saturday night to have a good chance.