Georgia Keeps College Football Playoff Hopes Alive With Win Over Florida; Nat’l Title Odds Improve From +1500 to +1000
By Jordan Horrobin in College Football
Updated: January 6, 2023 at 3:42 am ESTPublished:
- No. 8 Georgia moved to 7-1 with a 24-17 win over No. 6 Florida
- Wins by Notre Dame and Auburn on Saturday help the Bulldogs’ cause
- Read below as we map Georgia’s path to the conference championship game
The latest edition of the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party,” a rivalry game between Georgia and Florida, pushed one team deep into the College Football Playoff conversation and ousted the other team from the discussion altogether.
As it stands, Georgia led from start to finish in a 24-17 win over Florida. With the win, Georgia took a commanding lead on the SEC West division, which is key — playing in the SEC championship game is a must if the Bulldogs hope to reach the playoff.
Here are their current National Championship odds, along with other playoff contenders, entering Week 11:
2020 College Football Playoff Odds
| Team | Record | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 8-0 | +275 |
| Clemson | 8-0 | +275 |
| Ohio State | 8-0 | +300 |
| LSU | 8-0 | +450 |
| Georgia | 7-1 | +1000 |
| Oregon | 8-1 | +1600 |
| Oklahoma | 7-1 | +2000 |
| Penn State | 8-0 | +2000 |
*Odds taken Nov. 3
The Cocktail Party
No style points are required in a game like this, where two highly-ranked teams are fighting to stay in the hunt. But Georgia made a statement by never trailing and by dominating in the trenches.
You can LeCounte on the Georgia defense. pic.twitter.com/8ZUiUjlTMU
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 2, 2019
The Bulldogs outgained the Gators by 120 yards, thanks to stout run defense. Florida managed just 21 rushing yards on 19 carries. That has been a major factor this season for Georgia, which has the fourth-ranked run defense in the country (77.6 yards allowed/game).
Florida finished strong, with 14 points in the final quarter, but now sits at 7-2. The Gators are only a half-game back in the SEC West, but now Georgia holds the tiebreaker. In other words, Florida’s CFP hopes are gone.
What Helped Georgia on Saturday?
Two teams can help ensure Georgia has the best possible playoff resume: Notre Dame and Auburn.
Georgia beat the Fighting Irish back in September when they were No. 6 in the country. Since then, Notre Dame has dropped to No. 16. The more they lose, the less valuable that win is for Georgia. On Saturday, Notre Dame escaped with a one-point win after trailing in the game’s final minute.
QB KEEPER FOR SIX@IAN_BOOK12 DANCES INTO THE END ZONE UNTOUCHED WITH THIRTY SECONDS TO PLAY@JDOERER_11'S EXTRA POINT PUTS US ON TOP#GOIRISH ☘️ #VTvsND pic.twitter.com/x4VLrYejvK
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 2, 2019
No. 12 Auburn also won a close one, against unranked Ole Miss. Georgia hasn’t played Auburn yet, but they will meet Nov. 16. Georgia will need to win that game, of course, but they also need Auburn to have a good record so that game appears as an “impressive win.”
"I'm extremely proud of our team. It was a hard-fought victory." – @CoachGusMalzahn#WarEagle
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) November 3, 2019
What Didn’t Help Georgia on Saturday?
Many of the nation’s top teams were idle this weekend, including Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and Penn State. As a result, Georgia wasn’t able to leapfrog any of them on its way up to No. 6 in the latest Associated Press rankings.
The Week 11 AP Poll is here 🏈
1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Clemson
5. Penn State
6. Georgia
7. Oregon
8. Utah
9. Oklahoma
10. Florida— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 3, 2019
Clemson, with a win over FCS Wofford, also stayed ahead of Georgia. But there’s a silver lining: Georgia is the highest ranked one-loss team, which shows that voters respect their schedule and performance to this point.
LSU and Alabama still have to play each other, as do Ohio State and Penn State. That will help thin the herd and clear a path for Georgia.
Decision Time
As always, the top of the college football leaderboard is crowded. Georgia’s loss to an unranked opponent (South Carolina) will really sting when it’s time to decide who’s in and who’s out.
https://twitter.com/alex_kirshner/status/1190978271225303040?s=20
But, thanks to a tough schedule, there is a way. Georgia must run the table, including an SEC championship win over LSU/Alabama. If that happens, they definitely get in. If it doesn’t happen, they are definitely out.
Sports Writer
Jordan Horrobin is a sports journalist whose MLB, NHL, NFL and NCAA work has appeared in outlets such as The Athletic, MLB.com, the Detroit Free Press and more. He is currently based in Toronto, also working as a contributor for Forbes.com and a freelance editor for Sportsnet.
