ATHENS – The Georgia Bulldogs remain No. 1 -- at least for one more week.
Georgia (7-0, 4-0 SEC) on Sunday was picked No. 1 for third straight week in both the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls. But there’s no guarantee the Bulldogs will still be on top next week, even if they take care of business against Florida (4-3, 1-3) this Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS).
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2022 season will be unveiled on Nov. 1. Those rankings are compiled by a selection committee, which takes into account strength-of-schedule and a number of other factors while also ignoring the “opinion polls,” such as the AP and coaches are.
Using a myriad of data points, there’s a reasonable chance that either Tennessee or Ohio State could supplant the Bulldogs as the nation’s top team, depending on the CFP committee’s quantifications. Both of those teams have been garnering more of the votes in the opinion polls each week. Ohio State was up to 18 first-place votes and Tennessee 13 to Georgia’s 31 in the latest AP survey.
Generally, the Vols are thought to have played a more difficult schedule to date. But that’s actually a hard point to argue.
On the surface, it appears that Georgia has played just one ranked team so far in Oregon. The Ducks were ranked No. 11 when the Bulldogs whipped them 49-3 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game on Sept. 3.
Also based on rankings at the time they played, the Vols have played four Top 25 opponents. But that includes Florida, then ranked No. 20. After falling 38-33 in Knoxville, the Gators (4-3, 1-3) dropped out of the poll the next week and since have lost to unranked LSU (which is now ranked). Meanwhile, Tennessee will get credit for another Top 25 win this Saturday if it beats No. 19 Kentucky visits Knoxville. The Wildcats (5-2, 2-2) were ranked 20th when they knocked off then-No. 12 Florida 26-16 on Sept. 10 in Gainesville.
Therein lay the problem with crediting teams for the games-versus-ranked-opponents component. It can be pretty murky sometimes.
Quantified by where its opponents are ranked presently, Georgia’s resume’ improves considerably. Not only is Oregon now up to No. 8 in the AP poll, but South Carolina just entered the rankings on Sunday at 25. Considered that way, the Bulldogs have recorded two victories over Top 25 teams by the aggregate total of 97-10. They beat South Carolina 48-7 on Sept. 17. Both the Ducks and Gamecocks are undefeated since then.
So, what about the 91st renewal of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail party this Saturday in Jacksonville? Well, the Bulldogs aren’t likely to much credit even if they do take care of business against the Gators at TIAA Bank Field. Georgia, which opened last week as 17-point favorite against Florida, have since seen the line on the game balloon to 22.5 points, according to movements monitored by VegasInsider.com.
Based on that handicapping, the Bulldogs are likely to see their ranking severely devalued with a loss and maybe even with a closely-fought win.
Fortunately for all involved, the playoff format largely takes care of any hidden biases. Georgia is one of just six teams remaining in the pool of undefeated teams. UCLA, Ole Miss and Syracuse fell from those ranks this past Saturday.
Ohio State will put its unblemished record on the line Saturday on the road against No. 13 Penn State this weekend. So, will TCU at West Virginia and Michigan at Michigan State. No. 5 Clemson (8-0, 4-0 ACC) and No. 6 Alabama (7-1, 4-1 SEC) are off.
Georgia and Tennessee very much are on. If both teams take care of business this Saturday, it very likely will be No. 2 versus No. 1 – in either order – when they meet each other on Nov. 5 in Athens.
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