Georgia won of the biggest college football matchups of Week 8 when they defeated then-No. 5 Ole Miss 43-35 in front of 93,033 fans at Sanford Stadium on Saturday.
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The Bulldogs improved to 6-1 and 4-1 in the SEC. The Dawgs were ranked No. 9 entering Week 8, but jumped to No. 5 before their bye in Week 9. Georgia has two weeks to prepare to play at Florida, who fired head coach Billy Napier on Sunday.
Georgia is in good position to have a chance to make the SEC Championship Game if they win out. The Bulldogs sit in third place behind No. 4 Alabama and No. 3 Texas A&M, who are tied for first place in the conference with 4-0 records.
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Despite proving capable of beating an elite program, Brett McMurphy of On3 has a disappointing projection for the Bulldogs postseason. McMurphy has Georgia as the No. 5 team hosting South Florida in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
He gave bye weeks to Ohio State, Texas A&M, Alabama and Indiana.
Per the change in structure to the CFP this season, bye weeks are determined by the ranking of the selection committee. Last year, the bye was given to the top four ranked conference champions.
McMurphy must not think Georgia can move up one spot in their next five contests, and maybe an appearance in the SEC championship. The Dawgs play Mississippi State, No. 22 Texas, Charlotte and No. 7 Georgia Tech after their contest against the Gators.
Georgia went on a spectacular late-season run to make a bye in the first round of the CFP last season.
Following a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss on Nov. 9, the Bulldogs defeated then-No. 7 Tennessee, UMass, Georgia Tech and then-No. 2 Texas in the SEC Championship Game to earn a bye and the No. 2 ranking for the CFP.
Last year, all four teams with byes in the first round lost in the quarterfinal round. Smart, when asked if he thought having momentum coming into the quarterfinal round was more important than a bye, answered that the bye was significant because it helps with injuries.
“I’m not here to complain about anything,” Smart said. “Given the opportunity, Notre Dame lost probably their best defensive player (defensive tackle Rylie Mills). So I don’t know how that’s an advantage.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Georgia can earn a bye this year. After their performance against the Rebels on Saturday, they made an argument for getting an extra week of rest.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.