Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Writer
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia coach Kirby Smart is ranked No. 12 by the College Football Playoff selection committee, motivating the Bulldogs to prove a point in Saturday night’s game against No. 7 Tennessee. He did not say whether it was.
The Bulldogs, who suffered their second loss of the season with a heartbreaking 28-10 loss to Ole Miss last week, would be the first team out of the playoffs if the 12-team spot is based on current rankings. Probably. No. 13 Boise State received an automatic bid as the winner from fifth in the conference and would have jumped over there.
That’s probably not the case anymore after Georgia beat Tennessee 31-17 at Sanford Stadium.
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“I don’t know what they’re looking for. I really don’t know,” Smart said of the CFP selection committee. “I wish they could really define the standards. I wish they could come here and look at who we’re playing and do an eyeball test to watch them. You don’t see that on TV. I don’t know what they want, but that’s for someone else to decide. I’m worried about the team.”
For the first time in a while, Georgia looked pretty good on both sides of the ball against Tennessee. The Bulldogs fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter, but came back to tie the game at 17 points at the half. Tennessee only had eight first downs and did not score in the final 30 minutes. It was the ninth time coach Josh Heupel’s team has scored fewer than 20 points. Four of those came against Georgia.
The Bulldogs have won 29 straight games at home and eight straight over the Volunteers, all by double digits.
“Our kids have shown resilience,” Smart said. “I’m proud of these guys. Look, it was a week ago, a few hours ago, that we were dead. People were looking down on us. Week after week, we played in this league. It’s a difficult thing to do.” “
After the Ole Miss loss, Georgia State fell from No. 3 to No. 12 in the CFP rankings. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, chairman of the CFP selection committee, said the Bulldogs’ inconsistent offense and turnovers were the reason.
“They’re not in that environment,” Smart said. “They’re fired up because they’re not in an Ole Miss environment and they’re playing a top-five defense in the country with one of the best pass rushers in the country. They’re up by two points and they They don’t understand that.”
Georgia plays the toughest schedule in the FBS, according to ESPN’s College Football Power Index, which reflects whether the average top 25 team performs at or above a team’s record against that schedule. He has the third best recording ability.
The Bulldogs lost the game against Alabama on September 28, 41-34 after falling behind 28-0 in the first half. They beat Clemson 34-3 in the opener and won 30-15 at Texas on October 19th.
Add in a dominant win over Tennessee, and Georgia’s CFP chances should improve even more. The regular season concludes with two non-SEC games at home against the University of Massachusetts on Saturday and rival Georgia Tech on Nov. 29.
“It’s just a week-to-week thing and we’re trying to be a stacked, really high-quality team overall, and we’re trying to be a stacked, really high-quality team as a whole, and we’re trying to be a team that’s in a room somewhere, maybe doesn’t understand football the way we do. “You don’t want to ride this emotional roller coaster that is controlled by people who are not coaches,” Smart said. “As coaches, we look at people and think, ‘How can we do better? How can we be better?’ I respect their decision, but it’s different in our league. ”
One of Georgia’s successes against Tennessee was quarterback Carson Beck, who completed 25 of 40 passes for 347 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He had thrown 12 interceptions in his previous six games.
Beck then scored on a 10-yard run to give Georgia a 24-17 lead with 5:32 left in the third quarter.
“Honestly, I didn’t feel any pressure at all,” Beck said. “On Monday I stood in front of my team and told them how I felt about the way this season went. Whatever happened happened and it’s in our control. I told them it was the only thing they could control going forward.”
Georgia’s offense did not allow a sack, but the Bulldogs sacked Volunteers quarterback Niko Iamareaba five times. Georgia gained 453 yards and went 5-for-5 in the red zone.
“I think everyone understood the situation we were in,” Beck said. “When our backs are against the wall, the only way out is through what’s in front of us.”
