It is not about how you start, but how you finish. With their first loss out of the way, the Georgia Bulldogs bounced back with one of its most dominating performances over a Power Four team in quite some time. They had very little issues moving the ball on the ground vs. the Kentucky Wildcats in their impressive 35-14 victory Between the Hedges on last Saturday. Georgia has improved to 4-1.
This has the Dawgs ranked No. 10 overall in the latest AP Top 25 Poll. While some AP voters are still dogging them for losing at home to perpetual nemesis Alabama by a field goal two weeks ago, even they seem to recognize that this is a playoff-caliber team through and through. Assuming the Dawgs go 6-1 or better the rest of the way, they should make the 12-team field in some way, shape or form.
While Georgia has yet to fall out of the projected College Football Playoff field at any point of this season, the Dawgs have been all over the place when it comes to seeding. They have been among the teams getting first-round byes, as well as playing in all sorts of seeds as a first-round team. In the end, it is all about matchups. Georgia has the talent to go all the way, but this thing is a gauntlet, man.
Without further ado, let's see what the latest College Football Playoff projections look like in Week 7.
Projected College Football Playoff bracket ahead of Week 7
Based solely on ESPN's FPI playoff percentages, here is the projected 12-team playoff bracket.
- Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0): Projected Big Ten champion (89.49 playoff percentage)
- Oregon Ducks (5-0): Projected Big Ten runner-up (87.7 playoff percentage)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (4-1): Projected SEC champion (78.2 playoff percentage)
- Miami Hurricanes (5-0): Projected ACC champion (77.6 playoff percentage)
- Ole Miss Rebels (5-0): Projected SEC runner-up (71.6 playoff percentage)
- Indiana Hoosiers (5-0): Projected Big Ten at-large (71.3 playoff percentage)
- Texas A&M Aggies (5-0): Projected SEC at-large (66.1 playoff percentage)
- Georgia Bulldogs (4-1): Projected SEC at-large (60.3 playoff percentage)
- Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-0): Projected Big 12 champion (52.7 playoff percentage)
- Oklahoma Sooners (5-0): Projected SEC at-large (45.8 playoff percentage)
- Memphis Tigers (6-0): Projected AAC/Group of Five champion (38.4 playoff percentage)
- Missouri Tigers (5-0): Projected SEC at-large (35.0 playoff percentage)
After seeing the 12 teams to make the playoff field, these would be the first four teams out now.
- 13. Michigan Wolverines (4-1): Big Ten (32.8 playoff percentage)
- 14. Vanderbilt Commodores (5-1): SEC (32.1 playoff percentage)
- 15. LSU Tigers (4-1): SEC (30.2 playoff percentage)
- 16. BYU Cougars (5-0): Projected Big 12 runner-up (29.3 playoff percentage)
Georgia being the No. 8 seed is quite intriguing. This is the same seed that a 10-2 Ohio State ran the gauntlet en route to being named last year's College Football Playoff National Champions. Being on Ohio State's side of the bracket might be in their favor. However, being the No. 8. seed still requires playing, and winning, four playoff games in a row to be crowned national champions. It is a tough road.
Now that we know who has made the field, let's take a look at the first-round matchups and the byes.
Projected College Football Playoff first-round matchups and byes
Here is who will be getting a bye in the first round and the four first-round matchups in this bracket.
- No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (BYE)
- No. 2 Oregon Ducks (BYE)
- No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide (BYE)
- No. 4 Miami Hurricanes (BYE)
- No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels vs. No. 12 Missouri Tigers
- No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 11 Memphis Tigers
- No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies vs. No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners
- No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. 9 Texas Tech Red Raiders
Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama and Miami get the first-round byes. Ole Miss will host Missouri in the No. 5 vs. No. 12 game. Indiana continues to be matched up with Memphis, this time in the No. 6 vs. No. 11. A pair of SEC teams will clash in the No. 7 vs. No. 10 with Texas A&M hosting Oklahoma. Georgia would get to host Big Ten champion Texas Tech in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 Between the Hedges in Athens.
Ole Miss uses its slight home-field advantage to get past SEC foe Missouri in the Rebels' first-round game. Indiana overwhelms Missouri in its first-round game in the No. 6 vs. No. 11. Texas A&M may be a bit healthier and not as run-through as Oklahoma may be in their game. For as much as everybody wants to crown Texas Tech, the Red Raiders will have not played a team like Georgia on the road yet.
Now that we know who will be advancing to the national quarterfinals, let's see the bowl matchups!
Projected College Football Playoff bracket national quarterfinals
For the national quarterfinals, these would be the projected games amongst this elite group of eight.
- Rose Bowl: No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes
- Cotton Bowl: No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies vs. No. 2 Oregon Ducks
- Sugar Bowl: No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide
- Orange Bowl: No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels vs. No. 4 Miami Hurricanes
Georgia will have to travel across the country to take on top-seeded Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Oregon will await Texas A&M in Arlington for this year's Cotton Bowl. It could be a Sugar Bowl for the ages with Alabama and Indiana both seeing red. Once again, we have the most intriguing first-round game with Ole Miss having to travel to play No. 4-seeded Miami at the Hurricanes' house of worship.
It could go either way, but let's just say for the sake of argument that Georgia out-coaches Ohio State and wins the Rose Bowl. Oregon will have a challenge putting away Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, but the Ducks inevitably will. Alabama has too much depth to lose to Indiana, to be honest. Given that this is a home game for Miami, that might be more than Ole Miss could ever hope to handle in the Orange.
So with Georgia, Oregon, Alabama and Miami all advancing, here is who will be playing in the semis.
Projected College Football Playoff bracket national semifinals
These would be your two national semifinal games in this projected College Football Playoff bracket.
- Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide
- Peach Bowl: No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. 4 Miami Hurricanes
And so we meet again? Dan Lanning will take on his perpetual nemesis in Kalen DeBoer in this year's rendition of the Fiesta Bowl. It could go either way, but Oregon seems to have an extra gear that Alabama may not be able to find. It may be painful, but Georgia may not be able to beat Ohio State and Miami back-to-back to reach the national title bout. Miami has looked the part through six weeks.
With Oregon and Miami advancing, who is going to win the Mario Cristobal Bowl in Miami Gardens?
Projected College Football Playoff bracket national championship
So it will be Mario Cristobal's former employee going up against his alma mater at his home stadium.
- College Football Playoff National Championship: No. 4 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 2 Oregon Ducks
Through the first six weeks of the season, Miami and Oregon have looked like the most complete teams. Teams like Ohio State and Ole Miss may be undefeated, but the Canes and Ducks seem to be cut from a different cloth. While one could make arguments for either of these teams winning this theoretical national championship game, the home-field advantage might work to Miami's benefit.
In the end, it is hard to pick against The U in this spot. Again, playing a national championship and a national quarterfinal at your home state without having to play a first-round game is massive. Oregon may be up against it with travel, but there are reasons why Miami has won national championships before and Oregon has yet to win one. Cristobal becomes the fourth active coach to win the playoff.
To bring this back home to Georgia, they could conceivably win a national championship from the No. 8 seed. That is a far more advantageous spot in the bracket that initially conceived. While beating Texas Tech at home, Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, Miami in the Peach Bowl and Oregon in the national championship at Hard Rock Stadium is feasible, let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet with all this.
For now, Georgia is among a handful of playoff-caliber teams who can win a national championship.