With the 2024 College Football Playoffs roughly one month away, the rankings mean more and more every week. While there’s no shortage of debate among fans regarding where their team stands, one specific situation remains noteworthy following the November 19 release.
The No. 10 ranked Georgia Bulldogs hold an 8-2 record, with their two losses coming against current top-10 teams in Alabama and Ole Miss. However, exactly one month ago, Georgia went to Austin and took down the then-No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns in a convincing 30-15 result.
While the loss to Georgia remains Texas’s only blemish on its record this season (9-1), many Bulldogs fans can’t believe the No. 3 Longhorns hold such a large advantage in the rankings over Kirby Smart and company.
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart (right) celebrates with his players during the first half against the Texas Longhorns.
Brett Patzke-Imagn Images
College Football Playoff Committee chair Warde Manuel addressed the topic head-on while citing the “body of work” for Texas, as KSL.com’s Jon Wilner detailed.
“As the committee analyzed the body of work of Texas vs where Georgia is at the present time with two losses, even to top-25 teams, we came out that Texas was still a very strong team deserving of a 3 seed,” Manuel said.
The debate over what qualifies a two-loss team to push a one-loss team in the playoff rankings has remained a hot-button topic. However, Georgia’s situation is even more unique due to its road victory over the Longhorns and two lone losses against fellow top-10 teams.
Georgia bolstered its side of the argument with an impressive 31-17 victory over the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers this past weekend. As things currently stand, the SEC has two one-loss teams ahead of them in the standings, Texas and Texas A&M.
With the Longhorns and Aggies set to meet in two weeks, it could create a bit of chaos down the final stretch of the regular season. This is especially true considering the SEC has three other teams with two conference losses currently in Tennessee, Alabama and Ole Miss.
