No need for panic about Georgia Bulldogs opening ranking
By Brad Rowland
I have an announcement for the legion of fans that regularly support the Georgia Bulldogs.
Everything is going to be okay.
In some circles (and not every circle, mind you), there was considerable panic concerning the opening rankings from the inaugural College Football Playoff committee. For reference, the Georgia Bulldogs are ranked 11th by the committee in the first installment, and that places Mark Richt’s club behind fellow 1-loss teams including TCU (7th), Michigan State (8th) and Kansas State (9th).
It is quite easy to see why some fans would be bothered by this, especially when considering that the vast majority of UGA supporters likely subscribe to the “SEC is better than everyone” viewpoint that runs rampant in the Southeast portion of the United States. However, there is absolutely no reason for panic here.
For starters, there is a reason that the Georgia Bulldogs are listed as one of the favorites to take home the national title this season by several leading odds-makers. Regardless of who is playing running back (i.e. Todd Gurley), the Dawgs have a very manageable schedule the rest of the way, including two of the three most important games (Auburn and Georgia Tech) taking place in the friendly confines of Sanford Stadium. On top of that, you could not find a single pundit who would state, with any confidence, that Georgia would not reach the College Football Playoff if the Dawgs ran the table with a 12-1 record and an SEC title.
With that on the table, the formula is simple. Win every game.
Georgia is nearly a two-touchdown favorite over Florida, the home-field advantage certainly levels the playing field against Auburn in Athens, and if the Dawgs simply “hold serve”, they’ll be playing for their own fate in Atlanta against the winner of the SEC West. It is unquestionably “fun” to argue about college football rankings this time of year, and that is part of the charm of the sport in general, but at the same time, sounding the alarm in late October is quite silly, and there is a lot of football left to play.
Now, let’s all sit back and see if the Georgia Bulldogs can take care of business between the white lines.