The Georgia Bulldogs finished the regular season 10-2, including a 6-2 record in SEC games. There’s little doubt that UGA be in the College Football Playoff regardless of its upcoming SEC Championship Game against Texas on Saturday, Dec. 8.
The Bulldogs have become perennial contenders for the national championship. Georgia won back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022. The Bulldogs made the SEC title game last year but lost to Alabama, ending its big for three consecutive national championships.
Georgia was ranked No. 5 in the latest CFP top 25 rankings. Their lone losses were to Alabama and Ole Miss, but they only lost twice, so they remain ahead of both of those teams. Now, the Bulldogs will turn their attention to taking on Texas, a team they beat in the regular season, in a rematch in the SEC title game on Saturday.
Here is how a win or loss for Georgia will impact its CFP chances.
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Is Georgia in the College Football Playoff?
They should be. Nothing is set in stone already, with the CFP committee getting the final say on Selection Sunday. Last year, we had quite the surprise when undefeated Florida State was left out of the top four. If Georgia wins the SEC Championship, it will get an automatic bid and be guaranteed a top-four seed. If the Bulldogs lose to the Longhorns, they would almost certainly get an at-large bid and fall between the five and 12 seeds.
Georgia playoff scenarios
Georgia wins SEC championship game
- With win, Georgia would get automatic bid
- Georgia would get a first-round bye
- Georgia would likely be No. 1 or No. 2 seed
- First CFP game would be Sugar Bowl on Jan 1
Georgia went on the road to face Texas on Oct. 19. The Bulldogs won 30-15 and will look to duplicate this performance in the SEC title game. If Georgia wins, it will get an automatic bid for the CFP, which comes with a top-four seed and a first-round bye.
Depending on what happens between Oregon and Penn State in the Big Ten Championship, the Bulldogs will be the No. 1 or No. 2 seed. Georgia will play its first playoff game in the quarterfinals at the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.
Georgia loses SEC championship game
- With loss, Georgia would likely get an at-large bid
- Seed TBD
If Georgia loses to Texas, it would be their third loss. The CFP committee said it won’t penalize teams for losing in its conference championship game. So, even though Georgia would have three losses, including head-to-head losses against Alabama and Ole Miss, the Bulldogs will likely only fall outside the top 12 if the committee penalizes them for a loss.
With an at-large bid, Georgia would fall between the 5-seed and the 12-seed. The CFP projection has them losing to Texas and being the 7-seed. If this happens, the Bulldogs would take on the No. 10 seed. It was a first-round matchup, so UGA would host the game at Sanford Stadium. If the Dawgs won, they would advance to the quarterfinals and a neutral site game against the No. 2 seed.
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College Football Playoff bracket 2024
The CFP released the penultimate rankings on Tuesday. Given the conference champion favorites, here is how the bracket came together. The irony for Georgia is that they are the 7-seed, and if they were to beat No. 10 Indiana in a projected matchup, they would face Texas in a rubber match in the quarterfinals.
Georgia would get a top-four seed and first-round bye if it were to beat Texas in the SEC title game. If the Bulldogs lose, they would get an at-large bid. To host a first-round game, Georgia would need to be seeded between No. 5 and No. 8. Otherwise, the Bulldogs would have to play a road game in the first round and have a tougher path to advancing.