SEC Football: SEC becomes the first conference to have top 2 in CFP rankings
By Abbey Giese
Georgia and Alabama received the No. 1 and 2 spots in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season.
On Halloween night, the College Football Playoff committee revealed the initial rankings for this season. For the first time, one conference had both the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the same ranking release.
SEC is 1st conference to ever have No. 1 and No. 2 teams in College Football Playoff ranking in same release
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 31, 2017
Georgia’s No. 1 ranking was somewhat of a surprise. Alabama has held the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll throughout the season. The Crimson Tide has outscored their opponents 344-78. Alabama is also first in the FBS for points allowed, and their opponents average just 9.8 points per game.
However, the Bulldogs are not far behind Alabama in outscoring their opponents, and at this point Georgia has played more ranked teams than the Crimson Tide. Georgia has outscored other teams 305-95, and the Bulldogs are third in the FBS for points allowed. Georgia opponents average just 11.9 points per game.
Georgia has wins over No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 16 Mississippi State. The College Football Playoff committee emphasizes strength of schedule and wins over quality opponents when determining the rankings.
CFP chairman Kirby Hocutt on Alabama-Georgia debate: "At the end of the day, it was the two wins against CFP top-25 teams for Georgia."
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) October 31, 2017
Alabama has yet to play a team in the College Football Playoff top 25. The Crimson Tide will face No. 19 LSU on Saturday, and they will play Mississippi State the next week. Both teams will also play No. 14 Auburn in November.
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Georgia and Alabama will most likely meet in Atlanta for the SEC championship in December, and both teams will likely still be undefeated then. Even with one losing the conference championship, there could be a possibility of both teams getting in the playoff depending on how the season plays out for other top ranked teams.
Alabama and Georgia have to get through the rest of the season. In college football, anything can happen each week. But as of right now both of the top SEC teams seem to be living up to the hype.