Of the handful of teams that can realistcally win the College Football Playoff, the Georgia Bulldogs have to be chief among them. While there may be pundits who like Indiana and Ohio State's chances more than them, to each their own. However, those who believe Oregon or Texas Tech is going to win it all may have another thing coming. What Georgia has that others do not is depth, and experience...
Georgia may be one of four teams returning to the playoff after making the first 12-team one last year. Yes, those are four of the five teams mentioned that could conceivably win it all. However, Georgia has something working for them that Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon cannot shake a finger at. Gunner Stockton is the only starting quarterback in the field with any playoff starting experience.
Here is the College Football Playoff field, as well as every team's starting quarterback coming into it.
- Indiana Hoosiers: Fernando Mendoza
- Ohio State Buckeyes: Julian Sayin
- Georgia Bulldogs: Gunner Stockton
- Texas Tech Red Raiders: Behren Morton
- Oregon Ducks: Dante Moore
- Ole Miss Rebels: Trinidad Chambliss
- Texas A&M Aggies: Marcel Reed
- Oklahoma Sooners: John Mateer
- Alabama Crimson Tide: Ty Simpson
- Miami Hurricanes: Carson Beck
- Tulane Green Wave: Jake Retzlaff
- James Madison Dukes: Alonza Barnett II
Wait, how is that possible? For starters, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Miami, Tulane, and James Madison had never made the playoff before. Oklahoma had not made it since before COVID as members of the old Big 12. Alabama is regularly in the playoff, but this the first time Kalen DeBoer led the Crimson Tide into the field. Yes, the 11 other quarterbacks mentioned have no playoff experience.
Let's unpack this a bit more, as well as explain why Stockton's first career start will help him out a ton.
Gunner Stockton is the only CFP bound QB with any playoff experience
As is the case with quarterbacks like Julian Sayin and Ty Simpson, this is Stockton's first year as a starting quarterback. Sayin was one of Will Howard's backups last year at Ohio State. Simpson has been on playoff teams before, but he served as Jalen Milroe and Bryce Young's backup. Dante Moore backed up Dillon Gabriel last year at Oregon, but did not play hardly at all a season ago for the Ducks.
Behren Morton has been with Texas Tech for the duration of his college career, so he has never been to the playoff before. Marcel Reed is still in the early part of his Texas A&M career. The Aggies had never made it prior to this season. Altough Trinidad Chambliss won a national title last year, that was at Division II Ferris State. He was not even the starting quarterback coming into this year for Ole Miss.
John Mateer, Jake Retzlaff, and Carson Beck have all transferred from one Power Five school to another. This is Mateer's first year at Oklahoma after having starred at Washington State in 2024. Retzlaff had been with BYU up until this summer. Beck was on Georgia's team the five previous seasons, but he never started in a playoff game. He was Stetson Bennett IV's backup, and got hurt.
So yes, Beck is the one that people tend to forget about. His first year as the Georgia starter was 2023, but that team failed to make the final four-team playoff as the No. 6 seed. Had he not hurt his elbow, maybe he was the one to start vs. Notre Dame in last year's Sugar Bowl? Even though Alonza Barrett II's James Madison Dukes are just happy to be here, at least Beck gets to play in the playoff.
As far as what this means for Stockton and Georgia's chances, he gets to go back to the same venue where he was thrust into the fire only a postseason ago following Beck's untimely injury in the SEC Championship victory over Texas. Stockton did not play horribly vs. Notre Dame, but a depleted Georgia roster was not ready for the tremendously great defense that Al Golden had working for him.
But this time around, things are different. Stockton has more starts under his belt, as well as a much easier first-round opponent. No. 3 Georgia will await the winner of the No. 6 vs. No. 11 game between Ole Miss and Tulane. The Rebels won the previous meeting earlier in the season, but they will be without Lane Kiffin. Tulane still employs Jon Sumrall for the time being, but he is heading to Florida.
Overall, Stockton has experienced something first-hand that none of his contemporaries have. Next weekend, there will be four quarterbacks who will get their first playoff victory before Stockton because that is the nature of the beast of the first-round games. Stockton should be able to get his first in the Sugar Bowl, but he may need to level up a bit if Georgia were to face Ohio State in Phoenix.
For now, Georgia has to somehow use this unique circumstance involving Stockton to its advantage.