Georgia up to No. 5 in Week 15 AP Poll ahead of SEC Championship
Slowly but surely, Georgia is rising up the rankings. UGA dropped out of the AP Poll’s top 10 entirely after a loss to Ole Miss, but the the Bulldogs are back into the top-5 just three weeks later ahead of conference championships.
Kirby Smart’s squad comes in at No. 5 behind, in order of first to fourth, Oregon, Texas, Penn State and Notre Dame with the undefeated Ducks receiving all the votes for the top spot.
Georgia’s move up has come as a result of several different factors. First, it required UGA to win, and the Bulldogs did that Friday night in eight overtimes over Georgia Tech. They jumped from No. 11 to No. 8 with a win over Tennessee in Week 12 and moved up to No. 6 after Week 13 thanks to losses ahead of them from Alabama and Indiana. Now, it’s the loss of Ohio State, previously ranked No. 2, that’s got Georgia up another spot.
“No matter if you’ve got the hardest schedule in the country, hardest schedule probably in the history of Georgia, you keep fighting,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said after the game when asked what he learned about his team in the 44-42 win over Georgia Tech. “You keep fighting, and everybody, you know, holds a shot at you. Those guys played really hard tonight. They had a good game plan. They played well enough to win. I’m talking about Georgia Tech. But our guys found a way to win. And at the end of the day, that’s what this is all about.”
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The Buckeyes fall to No. 7 after their loss to Michigan. Miami, who was No. 8, is down to No. 14, also suffering a second defeat on Saturday, leaving Boise State to join the top-10 at No. 10. The rest of 6-10 is filled out by Tennessee (No. 6), SMU (No. 8) and Indiana (No. 9).
Top 12
1. Oregon (62 first place votes)
2. Texas
3. Penn State
4. Notre Dame
5. Georgia
6. Tennessee
7. Ohio State
8. SMU
9. Indiana
10. Boise State
11. Alabama
12. Arizona State
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Of course what matters for Georgia and it’s postseason chances isn’t any ranking – no, not even the set released by the College Football Playoff committee on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs control their own destiny with an SEC Championship Game on Saturday against Texas with a win in Atlanta securing a first round bye and a spot in the Sugar Bowl. Kickoff time is set for 4:00 p.m. ET on ABC.
