Georgia Bulldogs: Still Alive in the SEC?

For all intents and purposes, the Georgia Bulldogs saw their chances at reaching the inaugural College Football Playoff evaporate during a lopsided and ugly loss in Jacksonville on Saturday afternoon. On cue, much of Bulldog Nation is up in arms as a result of the performance, and while they are certainly justified in their strong criticism of Saturday’s singular performance, there appears to be a growing sentiment that effectively buries the Dawgs as a player in the SEC.

That sentiment is misplaced.

Yes, Georgia now trails Missouri, who topped Kentucky by a 20-10 margin this week, in the SEC East standings, but because of the nature of the tiebreaker, the Bulldogs hold the advantage over the Tigers if the two teams finish with identical conference records. That provides some semblance of optimism, as Missouri holds just a half-game lead at the moment with a 4-1 record, and while their schedule is not a gauntlet by any stretch, it would be unwise to simply assume victories throughout the remainder of the season.

Of course, Mark Richt’s club would have to hold serve against both Kentucky (on the road) and Auburn (yikes) in order to even make this an argument, but with as poor as the performance was on Saturday, the team has looked equally dominant at times this season. Missouri closes with two road games, against both Texas A&M and Tennessee, before finishing against Arkansas in the coveted Friday afternoon slot on Thanksgiving weekend (let’s get weird!), and that leaves the door cracked.

Human nature does not usually allow for any sort of positive thought after a showing that was accurately described in this space as “embarrassing”, but the season is far from over for the Georgia Bulldogs. One major goal is virtually out the window, but everything else is still on the table, and that means something.