We still have a long way to go, but Georgia is bound to get the big playoff seeding break it needs, one way or another. While the last few College Football Playoff simulations have seen Georgia fall to arch nemesis Alabama in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 national quarterfinals, is there a way the Bulldogs can avoid getting the Crimson Tide again before at least the national semifinals? There are multiple ways at this.
Look. Before we really dive into this, let's make one thing clear. Can Georgia beat Alabama? Sure. It has happened before, most recently in the 2021 National Championship Game up in Indianapolis. Beating the same team twice in one year is so hard, so Georgia has that to its advantage, I suppose... It is all about avoiding getting them on the schedule as early on as realistically possible in the playoff.
The most likely way Georgia avoids Alabama until at least the semifinals would be for Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio State and Texas A&M to win out during the regular season, and for Alabama to then beat Texas A&M to win the SEC. The undefeated Big Ten champion would be the No. 1 seed. Alabama will be the SEC champion at No. 2. The losers will be No. 3 and No. 4, with Georgia at No. 5.
There is also one other high-quality team we cannot ignore in all of this, and that would be Texas Tech.
How Texas Tech could unlock the perfect pathway forward for Georgia
Let's say that everything written above comes to fruition. The only other thing we have to include is Texas Tech winning out and finishing as a 12-1 Big 12 champion. The Red Raiders' only loss on the year is to Arizona State, which is worse than Georgia losing by three to a potential SEC champion in Alabama. There is a chance that Texas Tech would be rewarded with the No. 5 seed over Georgia here.
If that were the case, presumably No. 6 Georgia would not face the SEC champion until the national semifinals. Should Texas A&M beat Alabama, the Aggies would be either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed, with the Crimson Tide probably being the No. 4 or No. 5 seed, having to play Texas Tech in the national quarterfinals. If they were the No. 5 seed after suffering a second loss, they would host the No. 12.
So while we have been focusing on what could happen ahead of Georgia in the playoff race, Dawg Nation may want to start paying a bit more attention to what is going on behind them with Texas Tech. In fact, they are the one team not on Georgia's schedule this year it should actually care about that is currently ranked behind them right now. It obviously cares about Ole Miss, Texas and Georgia Tech...
Texas Tech has a real shot to help Georgia not face Alabama in the dreaded No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup.