Alright, let’s dive into this “should Georgia have been in the playoffs” debate. I’ve been chewing on this one for a while, and I figured I’d walk you through how I broke it down, piece by piece.
First off, the gut check. I mean, you gotta start somewhere, right? My initial reaction was kinda like, “Hmm, close call, but maybe not.” They had that one ugly loss against Alabama in the SEC Championship. That’s a pretty big stain on your resume, especially when you’re talking about the top four teams in the country.
Then, I started digging into the numbers. I grabbed the final CFP rankings, looked at their strength of schedule, and compared them to the other teams in the running – particularly Florida State. FSU was undefeated, which is a HUGE deal. You can’t just ignore a perfect record, no matter how “weak” their schedule might have been perceived. But Georgia’s strength of schedule was pretty solid. They played in the SEC, after all. It’s a gauntlet every week.
Next, I watched some tape. I revisited key games from both Georgia and FSU. I wanted to see with my own eyes how dominant they actually were. Did they squeak by teams, or were they blowing them out? How did their offenses and defenses look against quality opponents? This is where things got interesting.
- Georgia’s offense was a machine, even against Alabama (for most of the game, at least). They could run, they could pass, and they had a ton of playmakers.
- Their defense, while not quite as dominant as in previous years, was still really good. They could get after the quarterback and made it tough to run on them.
- FSU, before the quarterback injury, looked good. But let’s be honest, after that their offense was… well, let’s just say they weren’t exactly lighting up scoreboards.
I even went down the rabbit hole of “what if” scenarios. What if Georgia had won the SEC Championship? No brainer, they’re in. But what if FSU had lost a game earlier in the season? Would the committee still have put an injured FSU team in over a one-loss Georgia team that looked like it was peaking? That’s a tough one.
Alright, time for the conclusion. Did Georgia deserve to be in the playoffs? It’s arguable, but the commitee has to stick to the rules. FSU was undefeated. Now did the committee mess up by not putting in a one-loss Georgia team in over an injured quarterback-less FSU team? Maybe. But that wasn’t the scenario.
So, there you have it. That’s how I wrestled with this whole Georgia playoff debate. It was a tough call, and honestly, there’s no definitively “right” answer. But hopefully, walking you through my thought process helps you see all the angles.
