It is not about how you start the season, but how you finish. When it comes to the Georgia Bulldogs, they seem to be peaking at the right time. This has been a different team ever since beating the Ole Miss Rebels in a barn-burner of a shootout well over a month ago Between the Hedges. Georgia has not lost a game since falling at home to Alabama over two months ago. Nobody wants to play UGA...
With Week 13 in the books, all that remains between now and the College Football Playoff field being set is rivalry weekend and the conference championships. Since Georgia does not control its SEC Championship destiny, needing either Alabama to lose to Auburn or Texas A&M to lose to Texas to get in, the only known game left on Georgia's schedule would have to be Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.
According to ESPN's Football Power Index, Georgia is effectively a lock to make the College Football Playoff ahead of its neutral-site affair with Georgia Tech at 98.6 percent. The Dawgs are one of five teams with better than a 97-percent chance of making it in, one of eight with better than a 75-percent chance, and one of 12 with better than a 50/50 shot of making it into the 12-team tournament field.
Georgia is in a great spot, but can the Bulldogs improve their seeding? Let's take a look at a bracket...
Projected College Football Playoff field after Week 13, based on only FPI
Based solely on ESPN's FPI percentages, this would be the 12-team playoff field in this simulation.
- Ohio State Buckeyes (11-0): Projected Big Ten champion (100.0 playoff percentage)
- Indiana Hoosiers (11-0): Projected Big Ten runner-up (99.6 playoff percentage)
- Texas A&M Aggies (11-0): Projected SEC champion (99.4 playoff percentage)
- Georgia Bulldogs (10-1): Projected SEC runner-up (98.6 playoff percentage)
- Oregon Ducks (10-1): Projected Big Ten at-large (97.0 playoff percentage)
- Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-1): Projected Big 12 champion (89.5 playoff percentage)
- Ole Miss Rebels (10-1): Projected SEC at-large (82.0 playoff percentage)
- Oklahoma Sooners (9-2): Projected SEC at-large (78.4 playoff percentage)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-2): Projected national independent at-large (72.5 playoff percentage)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (9-2): Projected SEC at-large (60.9 playoff percentage)
- James Madison Dukes (10-1): Projected Sun Belt champion (57.0 playoff percentage)
- North Texas Mean Green (10-1): Projected AAC champion (54.4 playoff percentage)
For a little bit more context, these would be the first four teams to miss out on making the playoff.
- 13. BYU Cougars (10-1): Projected Big 12 runner-up (48.6 playoff percentage)
- 14. Miami Hurricanes (9-2): Projected ACC champion (31.4 playoff percentage)
- 15. Virginia Cavaliers (9-2): Projected ACC runner-up (29.0 playoff percentage)
- 16. Tulane Green Wave (9-2): Projected AAC runner-up (28.3 playoff percentage)
Georgia comes in as the No. 4 seed in this simulation. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 4 coming into the third series of College Football Playoff rankings last Tuesday night. One would think that they will be the No. 4-ranked team for another week. The opportunity to jump Texas A&M was after last week's games. The Aggies had no issues with Samford during cupcake week, as Georgia handled Charlotte.
Now that we know who would be making the playoff in this exercise, let's take a look at the seeding.
Projected College Football Playoff first-round matchups and byes
Here are the four teams that will be getting first-round byes, as well as the four first-round matchups.
- No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (BYE)
- No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers (BYE)
- No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies (BYE)
- No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs (BYE)
- No. 5 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 12 North Texas Mean Green
- No. 6 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. No. 11 James Madison Dukes
- No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels vs. No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide
- No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M and Georgia get first-round byes. Oregon lands AAC champion North Texas in the No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup. Big 12 champion Texas Tech would get the Sun Belt champion James Madison Dukes in the No. 6 vs. No. 11. Ole Miss gets a brutal draw in the No. 7 vs. No. 10 by landing traditional rival Alabama. Oklahoma will be hosting Notre Dame in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup.
Oregon has no issues with North Texas, and neither does Texas Tech vs. James Madison. The Ducks and the Red Raiders advance to the national quarterfinals with little effort. As for the other games, they could really go either way. Let's take Alabama upsetting Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway in what may be Lane Kiffin's final game. As for the other one, Oklahoma's defense may stop Jeremiyah Love.
With Oregon, Texas Tech, Alabama and Oklahoma all advancing, let's see who they will play next.
Projected College Football Playoff bracket national quarterfinals
Here is what the national quarterfinal matchups could look like in this playoff bracket simulation.
- Rose Bowl: No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners
- Orange Bowl: No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide
- Cotton Bowl: No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies vs. No. 6 Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Sugar Bowl: No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. 5 Oregon Ducks
Big Ten champion Ohio State would take the Rose Bowl as the top seed in the tournament, while it will face No. 8 Oklahoma. Indiana takes the Orange Bowl as the No. 2 seed and would play No. 10 Alabama. SEC champion Texas A&M may want the Cotton Bowl, but may end up with the Sugar Bowl. Either way, the Aggies take on Texas Tech. Georgia will get Oregon in the Sugar Bowl or Cotton Bowl.
Ohio State has no issues with Oklahoma, who struggles to move the ball on Matt Patricia's defense. Indiana punishes Alabama for the Crimson Tide's inability to run the ball well to advance. Texas A&M wins a nail-biter over Texas Tech to survive and advance out of its national quarterfinals. Kirby Smart and the boys will remember this moronic quote from Dan Lanning, and will beat Oregon into a pulp...
Chalk prevails in the quarterfinals with Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M and Georgia all advancing.
Projected College Football Playoff bracket national semifinals
With only four teams left, here is who will be playing who in the national semifinals in this bracket.
- Peach Bowl: No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs
- Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies
Ohio State may regret taking the Peach Bowl, as the Buckeyes will have to face Georgia in the Bulldogs' backyard in Atlanta. Indiana and Texas A&M will be playing each other, probably in Greater Phoenix in the Fiesta Bowl in most estimations. At this stage of the game, all four teams have a decent shot at advancing to the national championship game, but only two shall prevail. Who is it?
An undefeated Ohio State team will deal with its first kind of adversity all season long vs. Georgia. The game may go down to the wire, but Georgia is built for these moments. At this point in time, we do not know if Ohio State is. Georgia advances because of this. As for the Fiesta Bowl, Indiana may be a tad more steady than Texas A&M. With a loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten title bout, they will be hungrier.
So it will be Georgia vs. Indiana for all the marbles in Miami Gardens. Let's see who comes out on top.
Projected College Football Playoff bracket national championship
It all comes down to this. Georgia vs. Indiana for the right to win the 2026 College Football Playoff.
- College Football Playoff National Championship Game: No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs
Let's be real. For as much fun as it has been to follow along with Indiana from afar, the Hoosiers just do not have the depth in key position groups, namely in the trenches, to outlast Georgia in the end. It will be a close game until midway through the third quarter where Georgia's massive talent advantage prevails. Indiana will have had an easier time with Texas A&M than Georgia will have with Ohio State.
To bring this all back home, Georgia is built to navigate any playoff bracket thrown its way, outside of playing Alabama in the national quarterfinals, of course... That being said, a pathway to a title as the No. 4 seed with wins over No. 5 Oregon, No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana may be enough to knock the extra-barky Big Ten down a peg. At the end of the day, Georgia will end all of their seasons here.
If this were to be the bracket, it would be amazing to see everyone in Big Ten Country fall to pieces.