Why the loss to LSU was exactly what Georgia Football needs

LSU in Atlanta anyone?

There’s another reason that this loss could end up working out for Georgia. Now bear with me on this, because it requires some assumptions, but I swear that I’ve thought this through. The biggest threat to Georgia making the CFP is that the committee will not want to put the same two SEC teams into the playoff that just played for the SEC title. That means that if Georgia meets Bama in Atlanta and loses, they aren’t going to be a top 4 team.

Now I think that would be the case even if the Dawgs had won today. Other conferences were so upset last season that even if UGA went undefeated into Atlanta, I don’t think they’d get a CFP ticket if they lost to Bama. And they probably will because right now, Bama looks like the damn Death Star. The only way an SEC team is going to the playoff is by winning the title and ironically, thanks to today’s loss, UGA now actually has a better shot to do just that.

You see, if Georgia had won today, only one team could win the SEC West. Alabama. With 2 SEC losses already, LSU would be done. Even if they beat the Tide, they couldn’t win the West unless the Tide somehow collapsed which isn’t going to happen. This Bama team might lose one game, but not two so it’s rather important the one they lose counts. If the Tigers can now win out, they’ll be the ones who end up in Atlanta, not Alabama. You know who wants that even more than the LSU guy smiling at the top of the page? Me, and you should too.

I’m not trying to be disrespectful here, but if Georgia plays LSU not the Tide for the SEC, the Dawgs odds of winning are a lot better. I can see this Tide team losing in a hostile Death Valley night game. I cannot see them being beaten on a neutral field by anybody. If LSU can pull out the second upset just like Auburn last year, there’s a high probability that it’s the Tigers Georgia faces for the title, not the Tide. I’d take Georgia in that game every day of the week. LSU is not as good as Alabama this year. That’s a fact and if we play a worse team, we have a better chance of winning.

I’m not saying that I want to avoid Alabama. I would love Georgia to beat the evil empire and shut up all of their screaming fans and Nick Saban. But what I want more than anything is for UGA to win a natty and I don’t care how they do it. If those same Bama fans were screaming all offseason that we never played them but we had the trophy, I’d care about as much as those same fans care about UCF. Not. One. Bit.

So yes Dawg fans, there are actually some positives that can be taken from today. Georgia will be a better football team going forward because of this loss and they might even have an easier route to the CFP. It’s not all sunshine and roses but the sky is certainly not falling. So back away from the train tracks, delete the half-written rage tweet directed at a 19-year-old you believe has wronged you and take a deep breath. As my fellow Brits like to say ‘Keep Calm and Carry on’ because nobody remembers the battles you lose if you end up winning the war.