Georgia's stunning loss to Auburn looked like the kind of defeat that could haunt Kirby Smart's team all the way through the College Football Playoff selection process. Less than three weeks later, the Bulldogs are sitting in a position that almost makes that embarrassment feel irrelevant.
The first College Football Playoff rankings dropped Tuesday night, and Georgia checked in at No. 2, trailing only undefeated Miami. Not Utah, which is 8-0. Not Indiana, which has just one loss. And certainly not Alabama, which sits at No. 5 despite losing to the Bulldogs earlier this season and being boatraced by Tennessee. Instead, the selection committee made one point abundantly clear.
Georgia's best wins matter significantly more than its worst loss.
That's quite the development, considering where things stood after Auburn walked into Sanford Stadium on Oct. 17 and stunned the Bulldogs 27-24.
Georgia's CFP ranking proves Auburn loss isn't defining its season
There was no defending Georgia's performance against Auburn. The Tigers entered that matchup unranked, and the Bulldogs had no business losing at home to a team that had struggled to find consistency throughout the season.
In all honesty, Georgia beat themselves in that game. Uncharacteristic penalties, mental errors, and a mistake-filled game from the usually dependable Gunner Stockton added up to an afternoon of ruin. At the time, it seemed entirely possible that Georgia would spend the rest of the season trying to overcome that one ugly performance.
But the Bulldogs have something that many of their playoff competitors don't: a victory over a top-five opponent.
Georgia's win over Alabama looks increasingly valuable with the Crimson Tide sitting at No. 5 in the initial CFP rankings. That result gives Smart's team a signature victory that can weather some scrutiny, even when the committee considers the Auburn disaster.
And Georgia's latest performance against Florida only strengthened that argument.
The Bulldogs dismantled the Gators 27-8, forcing four turnovers and holding a Florida offense with dangerous playmakers to just eight points. The performance wasn't merely about beating a rival. It was about showing the committee that the team that stumbled against Auburn isn't necessarily the team Georgia will be in December.
Florida landed at No. 24 in the initial rankings, giving Georgia another victory over a team the committee considers among the nation's best 25. Meanwhile, Auburn is nowhere to be found in the CFP conversation.
Georgia still has opportunities to make the Auburn even more irrelevant
Of course, the Bulldogs haven't completely escaped the consequences of losing to Auburn. Another loss could bring that result right back into the conversation, especially if Georgia finds itself competing with one of the other two-loss teams for a playoff spot.
Fortunately, Georgia's upcoming schedule provides plenty of opportunities to prevent that scenario, provided the Bulldogs don't stumble.
Georgia travels to No. 10 Ole Miss this weekend before hosting No. 18 Missouri and visiting No. 21 South Carolina later this month. That's three additional ranked opponents and three opportunities to strengthen a resumé that the committee already considers the second-best in college football.
Winning those games would make it nearly impossible to argue that one disastrous performance against Auburn should outweigh everything else Georgia has accomplished. And that's ultimately the biggest takeaway from Tuesday's rankings.
Georgia didn't need the committee to overlook the Auburn loss. It needed to build a resumé strong enough that the loss wouldn't define its season. With a top-five victory over Alabama, a convincing win against Florida, and the No. 2 spot in the first CFP rankings, the Bulldogs are already well on their way to doing exactly that.
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