ATHENS – Votes were cast and, for the Georgia Bulldogs at least, there were few surprises as the College Football Playoff selection committee produced its first of five televised reveals on Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs were tabbed No. 3 in the initial voting of the 13-member group that gathered in Grapevine, Texas, this week to begin the process that will determine which teams participate in the first 12-team playoff in college football history this season. Oregon opened at No. 1, followed by Ohio State, the Bulldogs, Miami, Texas, Penn State, Tennessee and Indiana.
Georgia’s place in the initial top-25 rankings released fell in line with what we’ve seen all year. The Bulldogs opened the season as a consensus No. 1 pick in the opinion polls, haven’t been ranked below No. 5 all year and were No. 2 in the last two Associated Press and coaches’ polls before Tuesday night’s reveal.
The only wrinkle ironed out for the Bulldogs on Tuesday was whether they would be ahead or behind Ohio State, which had been right behind UGA as the country’s highest-ranked, one-loss team. The decision to slot the Buckeyes ahead of the Bulldogs was fairly straight forward for the selection committee, according to first-year chairman Warde Manuel.
“Well, they both had great wins in terms of on the road, Ohio State against Penn State this week and Georgia at Texas,” said Manuel, whose full-time job is being athletic director at Michigan. “But what we felt was in terms of the losses they had. Ohio State lost to No. 1 Oregon by one and Georgia lost at Alabama, which is ranked No. 11. That’s really the difference. We’re really splitting hairs in terms of looking at two great teams.”
Going forward, only the CFP rankings will matter as the battle to remain within the top 12 is underway for the final four weeks of the regular season, plus conference championship week. The top five highest-ranked conference champions will become automatic qualifiers (AQs) and the top four of those will be seeded 1 through 4 and receive first-round byes. The eight other teams will be seeded 5 through 12 and will play first-round teams on the campus of the lower-seeded team, unless that team chooses to play in an approved neutral-site venue.
UGA officials confirmed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that it will indeed play at Sanford Stadium if it becomes a first-round host. Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where they hope to play in the SEC Championship on Dec. 2, was also an option the Bulldogs could have considered.
“If we were to host a first-round game it would be Sanford,” UGA spokesman Steven Drummond said.
College football has conducted a four-team playoff since 2014. In the 10 years since the inception of the playoffs, Georgia has qualified three times. The Bulldogs reached the finals each time, losing to Alabama 26-23 in overtime in the 2017 CFP championship and winning national titles in 2021 and 2022.
UGA and FSU stood as examples A and B last year for the need for an expanded playoff. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 the entire season in 2023 before falling to Alabama in the SEC Championship game last December. Georgia fell to sixth and the Seminoles to No. 5 despite winning the ACC championship and finishing undefeated but losing their starting quarterback in the process.
Predictably, the Bulldogs were unmoved by Tuesday’s news. The players and coaches asked about it after practice concluded early-evening insisted they had no plans to even watch the broadcast out of curiosity.
“I’m going to do my Tuesday night routine,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “I don’t think you can worry about it much. Certainly whatever it is today it won’t be next week or the next week or the next. So, it’s great energy for (media) and fans, I guess, but every minute I spend worrying about that is one less that I’m worrying about our team.”
Said junior center Jared Wilson: “It is what it is. It won’t change anything. I’ll still got practice and class (Wednesday).”
Having already played Texas and Alabama on the road, at the time ranked Nos. 1 and 4 respectively, the Bulldogs head to Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday to face the Ole Miss Rebels (7-2), who came in at No. 16 in the first CFP rankings. Texas was fifth and the Crimson Tide (7-2) is 11th with a road game against No. 15 LSU on Saturday.
Other SEC teams in the initial top 25 included No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 24 Missouri.
Smart admitted more teams in the playoff mean he and his staff must follow more teams as the season progresses.
“You look at little further down,” Smart said. “You’d look at maybe 12 last year and figure out if the 12th has a shot to get to fourth, what’s got to happen for that? Now, you’re looking at 20, 21, 22, the automatic qualifier, who’s got the best shot? How are they going to perceive these teams. That’s all the talk out there, but I could care less because what’s a quality win or loss right now, they’ve been known to change their minds.”
There is newness within the makeup of the committee as well. There were changes at the top as Retired Air Force Lt. General Richard “Just Call Me Richard” Clark succeeds Bill Hancock as the CFP’s executive director. And there are several new members of the 13-member selection committee.
That includes at least one person with Georgia ties. Virginia Athletic Director Carla Green Williams hails from the state and played basketball for the Bulldogs before embarking on career in athletic administration that saw her rise to the No. 2 post at UGA.
Williams is one of two women now on the committee. She joins USA Today sports reporter Kelly Whiteside.
Manuel succeeds Boo Coorigan as committee chair and will be the voice people hear the most as he fields questions about the weekly voting. The voting members of the selection committee are Chuck Ault, retired Nevada head coach and athletic director; Chet Gladchuk, Navy A.D.; Jim Grobe, retired Wake Forest football coach; Randall McDaniel, Hall of Fame Arizona State offensive lineman; Gary Pinkel, retired Missouri head coach; Mack Rhoades, Baylor A.D.; Mike Riley, retired Oregon State and Nebraska coach; David Sayler, Miami A.D.; Hunter Yurachek, Arkansas A.D. and Will Shields, retired Nebraska and NFL offensive lineman.
College Football Playoff rankings — Week 11
1. Oregon (9-0)
2. Ohio State (7-1)
3. Georgia (7-1)
4. Miami (Fla) (9-0)
5. Texas (7-1)
6. Penn State (7-1)
7. Tennessee (7-1)
8. Indiana (9-0)
9. Brigham Young (8-0)
10. Notre Dame (7-1)
11. Alabama (6-2)
12. Boise State (7-1)
13. SMU (8-1)
14. Texas A&M (7-2)
15. LSU (6-2)
16. Mississippi (7-2)
17. Iowa State (7-1)
18. Pittsburgh (7-1)
19. Kansas State (7-2)
20. Colorado (6-2)
21. Washington State (7-1)
22. Louisville (6-3)
23. Clemson (6-2)
24. Missouri (6-2)
25. Army (8-0)
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