Could Georgia make the College Football Playoff if the Dawgs lose the SEC Championship Game?

In one of the craziest college football games you will ever see, Georgia Bulldogs survived eight overtime periods to beat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. Winning Clean, Old-Fashioned… Opt 44-42The Dawgs finished the regular season with an impressive 10-2 (6-2) record. They already booked their tickets to the SEC Championship Game after last weekend.

Depending on what happens in The Lone Star Showdown return between Texas and Texas A&M will determine who Georgia faces in its conference title game. Texas probably would College Football Playoff with a win over Texas A&M, while the Aggies would almost certainly have to beat the Longhorns and Bulldogs back-to-back. So has Georgia already clinched a playoff spot?

In every overtime period of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, ESPN’s Joe Tessitore kept saying that with a win over the Yellow Jackets, the Dawgs would punch their ticket to the playoffs. For the most part, he’s right. ESPN Football Power Index now gives Georgia a 98.7% chance of making it. That’s the third-best grade in college football behind Oregon (99.9) and Ohio State (99.1).

The odds are heavily in Georgia’s favor to make it, but there’s a chance they won’t…

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For all intents and purposes, yes, I’d say Georgia is almost in, no matter what. If they lost the head-to-head rematch with Texas, the Dawgs might not be punished too harshly. I’ve watched this sport enough times to know how hard it is to beat the same team twice in one season. Unless they get completely blown out in the rematch, I don’t see Georgia not being able to get on the field here.

However, if the Dawgs were to lose to Texas A&M, things could be different. Instead of losing to a one-loss team that you dealt their only loss to during the regular season, you would fall to a three-loss team that is ranked well outside the top 12. If the Dawgs were crushed by Aggies, then I think there’s a chance Georgia doesn’t make the playoffs in that scenario. It should be so ugly.

In the end, Georgia probably did enough with the 12-game regular season to get in. They have three wins over top-15 teams from Clemson, Tennessee and Texas. Their two losses are to two top-15 teams Alabama and Ole Miss. The Rebels just won the Egg Bowl to finish the regular season at 9-3. Alabama can reach that point by winning the Iron Bowl over their arch rival Auburn.

Georgia would need a loss to Texas A&M in Atlanta, plus so much other chaos not to get in.