The SEC’s finest were on display this past Saturday as both divisions had critical matchups. The headliner featured a battle between an upstart Tennessee and the reigning national champion, the Georgia Bulldogs.
The road to the National Championship has gone through the Southeastern Conference for the better part of the millennium, and 2022 is no different. College Football’s premier conference has long been the focal point of the championship discussion regardless of format.
Georgia answered any concerns we had about its defense which lost one of its most valuable contributors in Nolan Smith for the year due to injury.
Tennessee’s top ranked offense met its match in Athens as it was held to 13 points and just 2/14 on third down.
The Bulldogs left no doubt who the best team in America was on Saturday with a dominant win over the (formerly) number one Vols.
This game wasn’t just a statement that Georgia is the best team this season, it’s a sign that the dominant program in college football resides east of the Chattahoochee River.
Dawg fans have used Alabama as a measuring stick ever since Kirby Smart was hired whether they’d like to admit it or not. Georgia’s controlling win paired with Alabama slipping up on the road yet again is a sign that there is a changing of the guard in the SEC.
Beating the Crimson Tide for the title last January showed UGA could get over the hump, and the Dawgs’ ability to dominate despite losing all the talent they did to the draft shows that they’re operating at the same level that Bama has for well over a decade.
I’d argue Georgia has looked more like Alabama than Alabama since the start of last year as Smart’s bunch have been the most physical team in the sport.
This isn’t to say that Alabama’s run is over or that the game has passed Nick Saban by, however the Tide now have a program that can go back and forth with them year in and year out.
As for Tennessee, Saturday’s defeat shouldn’t take away from what has been a renaissance for Volunteer football.
Less than two years ago, Tennessee’s future was clouded by an NCAA investigation that ended the Jeremy Pruitt era in flames. Players were entering the portal left and right, and there was no expectation that Josh Heupel could right the ship in just two seasons.
In less than 24 months, Heupel has already taken down Tennessee’s boogeyman in Alabama along with putting them in prime position to make its first playoff.
Despite the loss this past weekend, Tennessee still has one of the best resumes in the nation and should make the final four assuming it wins out.
The same can’t be said for Tennessee’s hated rival in the west who dropped their second game in walkoff fashion this season.
I said last week that LSU could crash the playoff party if it pulled off an upset against Alabama.
The Tigers did just that as they took a page from Hunter Renfrow’s book and hit an open receiver on a flat route to take down the Tide.
Brian Kelly had many detractors when he was hired at LSU(his southern accent certainly didn’t help), however I always bought into Kelly especially with LSU’s resources.
Many were worried how he would fit in Baton Rouge which I always found to be a laughable criticism. Fans want to win. That much is obvious, and they won’t care if you are “their guy,” if you are winning double digit games and competing for conference titles and playoff bids.
LSU now controls its destiny in the West and has a chance to be the first two-loss team to make the playoff since its inception in 2014.
One of the biggest complaints college football fans have had recently is the lack of parity. Many point to Alabama and Clemson playing for the championship year after year as evidence that parity is lost.
It’s safe to say that won’t be a problem this season after Clemson’s 35-14 loss at the hands of Notre Dame.
The Tigers’ schedule is fairly soft compared to other contenders meaning they couldn’t afford a loss especially one as humiliating as their defeat in South Bend.
Clemson and Alabama’s playoff hopes are bleak as both teams need several breaks to make the dance.
The selection committee revealed their second top 25 poll on Tuesday, and there is plenty to take away from the latest rankings.
My biggest takeaway is TCU controlling its destiny after Alabama and Clemson slipped up. Should the Horned Frogs be an unblemished Big 12 Champion on Selection Sunday, they will be in regardless of what happens around them.
I would also like to point out USC’s case for making the top four at season’s end. The Trojans have been hiding in the late night window all season, however their upcoming schedule gives them plenty of chances to make a statement to the committee.
USC ends their regular season with a “road” game against UCLA in the Rose Bowl before hosting Notre Dame on Thanksgiving weekend.
Should the Trojans win both of those matchups along with the Pac-12 title against a highly ranked opponent, the committee will have a hard time keeping one of the sports’ premier brands out of the top four.
Chris’ College Football Top 25 Rankings:
1.Georgia Bulldogs(9-0) W vs Tennessee 27-13, last week-2
2.Ohio State Buckeyes(9-0) W vs Northwestern 21-7, last week-1
3.Michigan Wolverines(9-0) W vs Rutgers 52-17, last week-4
4.Tennessee Volunteers(8-1) L vs Georgia 27-13, last week-3
5.TCU Horned Frogs(9-0) W vs Texas Tech 34-24, last week-7
6.Oregon Ducks(8-1) W vs Colorado 49-10, last week-8
7.LSU Tigers(7-2) W vs Alabama 32-31, last week-12
8.Alabama Crimson Tide(7-2) L vs LSU 32-31, last week-6
9.Clemson Tigers(8-1) L vs Notre Dame 35-14, last week-5
10.Utah Utes(7-2) W vs Arizona 45-20, last week-9
11.USC Trojans(8-1) W vs California 41-35, last week-10
12.UCLA Bruins(8-1) W vs Arizona State 50-36, last week-11
13.Ole Miss Rebels(8-1) Bye Week, last week-14
14.Penn State Nittany Lions(7-2) W vs Indiana 45-14, last week-15
15.North Carolina Tar Heels(8-1) W vs Virginia 31-28, last week-16
16.Texas Longhorns(6-3) W vs Kansas State 34-27, last week-21
17.NC State Wolfpack(7-2) W vs Wake Forest 30-21, last week-25
18.Liberty Flames(8-1) W vs Arkansas 21-19, last week-22
19.Tulane Green Wave(8-1) W vs Tulsa 27-13, last week-23
20.Kansas State Wildcats(6-3) L vs Texas 34-27, last week-13
21.Notre Dame Fighting Irish(6-3) W vs Clemson 35-14, last week-unranked
22.Washington Huskies(7-2) W vs Oregon State 24-21, last week-unranked
23.Florida State Seminoles(6-3) W vs Miami 45-3, last week-unranked
24.UCF Knights(7-2) W vs Memphis 35-28, last week-unranked
25.Illinois Fighting Illini(7-2) L vs Michigan State 23-15, last week-17
Dropped out of rankings- Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Syracuse, Oregon State