Urban Meyer considers where Georgia stands in the College Football Playoff picture

The Georgia Bulldogs suffered one of the most brutal losses of the college football season on Saturday. Coming from behind 28 points against Alabama and taking their first lead of the game with under three minutes left in regulation only for the Crimson Tide to still pull off a 41-34 win in Tuscaloosa.

But what does Saturday’s loss mean for the College Football Playoff hopes of the Bulldogs?

The expanded 12-team College Football Playoff makes it easier for all teams to compete for the national championship, but Georgia’s challenging remaining schedule does not. But Urban Meyer believes that the tough road ahead for the Bulldogs should be taken into consideration when the playoff field is decided.

“I guess why I’m so passionate about that is back in ’06, we had the number one most difficult schedule in the country,” Meyer said on The Triple Option about Florida Gators team. “And think about what happened, the number one most difficult schedule in the country, we lost one game at Auburn, and they tried to keep us out of the BCS. It was back in the BCS era and all the people are saying they don’t belong. And I’m like wait, what in the hell are you talking about not belong? Look at that schedule. So I’m gonna swing hard man, I just think schedule counts.”

Including with the Crimson Tide, Georgia faces five total ranked opponents this season. Which includes three SEC matchups on the road in hostile environments. With many wondering how many games the Bulldogs can afford to lose in order to still make the CFP.

“If they win those games, they’re one or two in a country,” Meyer said regarding Georgia winning out. “There’s some teams that won’t play a ranked team or a top 10 team.”

Georgia dropped from No. 2 to No. 5 in the AP Poll following Saturday’s loss. A neighborhood they’ll likely stay in even with close losses to top-ranked opponents like Texas and Tennessee on their schedule. But for now, the Bulldogs can’t focus too hard on the big picture and the CFP.

“I’ve been in those situations, maybe not exact like that, and the world’s coming to an end in Athens, Georgia right now … I can promise you Kirby Smart‘s not feeling it that way or his staff,” Meyer said. “His staff, because that’s a great coaching staff, they’re saying what could we have done differently to give these players one more chance to win that game?”

The Bulldogs were just a few plays away from an incredible comeback win, but there’s no question that they’ll still be a force to be reckoned with moving forward this season and a contender for the College Football Playoff.