All Georgia needs to do is win its next three games to be crowned College Football Playoff National Champions for the third time in five years. After repeating in 2021 and 2022, a pair of Big Ten teams claimed the ultimate prize in 2023 and 2024 in Michigan and Ohio State, respectively. At this stage of the playoff, Georgia is one of eight teams still playing for it, but on a shortlist of teams who can win it.
Seven more games have to be played, but Georgia is in a small group with Indiana and Ohio State as the most likely teams to be crowned national champions. After all, they are seeded one, two, three... Although Oregon and Texas Tech have the talent to potentially run the gauntlet, how steady are they really? As for Alabama, Miami, and Ole Miss, any additional playoff wins would be a pleasant surprise.
So what we are going to do today is to look at the seven potential opponents Georgia could take on in the playoff, and sort them by their viability as threats. Georgia plays Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day. If they win that, they will play either Ohio State or Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. Georgia could conceivably face Indiana, Texas Tech, Oregon, or Alabama in the national championship game.
Without further ado, let's rank the biggest perceived threats UGA may have to take on in the playoff.
7. No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide
Even though Georgia and Alabama have history with each other, the overall likelihood of these teams playing for a third time this year is inconsequential. Georgia will have to win the Sugar Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl, while simultaneously hoping Alabama survives Indiana in the Rose Bowl, and then were to somehow get past either Oregon or Texas Tech in the Peach Bowl. It is the only way they can play.
So even though Georgia would not take Alabama lightly if they were to play them for a third time, the chances of another game between these two occurring is so unlikely to happen that we almost do not even have to think about it. We will get there if and when we get there... Besides, Georgia got its two most cathartic wins to date under Kirby Smart vs. Alabama in 2021, and for this year's SEC title.
There are only two scenarios where Georgia plays Alabama in the playoff, and both are quite unlikely...
6. No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders
This is not meant to disparage the Texas Tech Red Raiders or the type of season Joey McGuire's team has had in the Big 12, but do you really think Georgia is going to play Texas Tech in the national championship? That is the only stage in which Georgia could conceivably face this team in the playoff, as the Red Raiders are on the other side of the bracket from Georgia. Will they navigate it?
Texas Tech may have had a bye, but the Red Raiders get such a brutal first draw for them in the quarterfinals vs. Oregon in the Orange Bowl. Should they win that game, they take on the winner of the Rose Bowl between Indiana and Alabama in the Peach Bowl. Assuming Georgia holds up its end of the bargain, they could meet in Miami for all the marbles. However, this is still a Big 12 team, folks...
Texas Tech has a much-improved roster, one that is great on defense, but it has offensive limitations.
5. No. 10 Miami Hurricanes
In a slightly similar vein of how we should view a potential matchup with Alabama, the Miami Hurricanes come in fifth here for two reasons. One, do we really think they are going to get past Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl after only scoring 10 points on the road in the first round vs. Texas A&M? Yes, they won that No. 7 vs. No. 10 game, but neither Georgia or Ohio State should be overly worried.
The other is even though Georgia could potentially take on the Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl, that would require Miami to pull off what could end up being the biggest upset of the entire tournament. Whenever a team does that in any postseason tournament, they usually run out of gas vs. the next opponent. The chances of UGA playing Miami are somewhat feasible, but The U is not beating them...
There may be four paths involving Georgia playing Miami, but none of which feel like a Georgia loss.
4. No. 5 Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks find themselves right in the middle of this list when it comes to potential Georgia playoff threats. Again, this team has the roster to possibly win a national title, but there are still some major reservations about their inherent steadiness. Dan Lanning is an excellent head coach, but he is about to lose his two coordinators to other gigs with Will Stein to Kentucky and Tosh Lupoi off to Cal.
Georgia can only play Oregon in the national title bout. Oregon has to beat Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl first, before getting the best of either Indaina or Alabama in the Peach Bowl. Given the fact Oregon will have had to play four playoff games to win its first national title to date, that is still a ton of attrition for anyone. Having to play in Miami twice with Atlanta in between is too much travel for them.
It is why if Oregon were to win the College Football Playoff, nobody will ever doubt the Ducks again.
3. No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels
Putting Ole Miss up at No. 3 seems like a bit of a reach, but let's keep this in mind. They are the only team we know for sure that Georgia is going to play. It will be in the Sugar Bowl as part of the national quarterfinals. Ole Miss looked strong vs. the Tulane Green Wave in their rematch, but that was also a home game for the Rebels vs. a team they beat the breaks off earlier in the season. It is what it is, y'all.
The three biggest things working against Ole Miss is they had to play an extra game before getting Georgia a second time, they struggled to keep Georgia out of the end zone last time, and they have a new head coach taking over for them in Pete Golding. We will see up close and personal how much losing Lane Kiffin to the LSU Tigers job will impact Ole Miss vs. Georgia. Kirby Smart is so loving this...
The only reason this opponent is this high up is due to the imminent factor of Georgia playing them.
2. No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers
At this stage of the game, the most likely opponent Georgia would face in the national championship game would be the top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers. They headline the other side of the bracket from Georgia. Indiana draws Alabama in the Rose Bowl. If the Hoosiers win in Pasadena, IU will take on the winner of the Orange Bowl between Oregon and Texas Tech in the Peach Bowl in its national semifinal.
From there, Indiana will eagerly await whoever comes out of the Fiesta Bowl side of the bracket. All signs point to Georgia drawing Ohio State in The Valley of the Sun for the right to play for all the marbles. Indiana is well-coached and has very little weaknesses as a football team. Those would be occupying the role of the favorite in the tournament, as well as potentially not having enough depth.
If Georgia is to play for another national championship, Indiana is easily their most likely opponent.
1. No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes
Of course, it is Ohio State... Could it have been anybody else? While some in Buckeye Nation may not want to respect Georgia, mostly because they do not really respect anyone, most college football fans are of the belief this may be the game that decides the national championship. Georgia may have another gear Indiana cannot get to, whereas Ohio State might not lose the rematch to them.
It is kind of a shame that this cannot be the national championship. Georgia and Ohio State are on the same side of the bracket. If Georgia beats Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl, and Ohio State takes care of busines in the Cotton Bowl, they will be taking each other on in the Fiesta Bowl as one of the two national semifinals. Expect for it to be a total bloodbath of epic proportions like the 2022 Peach Bowl.
We can only hope that Georgia proves victorious like they did over Ohio State three playoffs ago...