It may not seem like much, but this is now a fact. While the Georgia Bulldogs creep ever closer to being a College Football Playoff lock, the Missouri Tigers are unofficially officially out of it. Georgia improved to 8-1 on the season with a dominating 41-21 win over Mississippi State in Starkville. Although the SEC's other Bulldogs got in the end zone three times, Georgia completely owned them.
This gave Georgia its sixth win in SEC play. With only three games left on the schedule, all Georgia needs to do is win two of the following three to make the playoff: vs. Texas, vs. Charlotte, vs. Georgia Tech in Atlanta. As for Missouri, those Tigers fell to 6-3 on the season after trying to mess with Texas A&M. The Aggies improved to 9-0 in their breezy 38-17 victory over the Tigers on the road in CoMo.
It may have been freshman Matt Zollers' first career start, but Missouri's season effectively ended once starter Beau Pribula broke his leg near the goal line in the third quarter vs. Vanderbilt two weeks ago. A third loss on the year pretty much knocks them out of the playoff picture. All three of their losses have come to playoff-caliber teams in the SEC in Alabama, Vanderbilt and now Texas A&M.
The SEC is going to get four teams into the College Football Playoff, maybe five, but not Missouri...
Missouri out of College Football Playoff picture provides Georgia clarity
So with Mizzou officially out of it, here is who could ,and probably will, make the College Football Playoff out of the SEC. Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas A&M are all approaching lock territory. Texas A&M is the only undefeated team left in the SEC, while Alabama's only loss came in the non-conference to Florida State. Georgia and Ole Miss have one loss on the season to SEC contenders.
Those that are still seriously fighting for it are Oklahoma, Texas and Vanderbilt. All three of those teams have two losses on the season, but could make the playoff if they were to win out. Oklahoma has Alabama, Missouri and LSU remaining. Texas still has Georgia, Arkansas and Texas A&M left. Vanderbilt is 8-2 on the season with games against rivals in Kentucky and Tennessee to be played.
While none of those teams have a realistic shot of getting to Atlanta, two of them might make the playoff. Vanderbilt will need to win out. Oklahoma probably needs to as well. If Texas beats either Georgia or Texas A&M, they will have an outside shot of making the field as a 9-3 team. To be quite honest, the team with the best chance to make it in of those three would have to be ... Vanderbilt!
In the end, Missouri being eliminated from the equation eliminates some level of confusion for Georgia. Yes, it may hurt the Dawgs' chances of getting to Atlanta now, as Texas A&M still has not lost a game so far. However, Georgia should only be concerned with who is ahead of them, as well as who is on their schedule. Beat Texas or Georgia Tech and those sort of things will work themselves out.
For now, Georgia fans no longer need to waste on the Paper Tigers of Columbia, Missouri this season.