SEC Football: Three SEC teams could still have College Football Playoff hopes

Georgia (9-1, 6-1 SEC)

Georgia’s playoff chances are a lot less likely now that the Bulldogs have a regular-season loss heading into the SEC championship game. However, they are not completely out of the question. But Georgia will have a more difficult path to the playoff moving forward.

Had the Bulldogs remained undefeated in the regular season, and played a close game against the SEC West team in the conference championship, Georgia would almost definitely have been in the playoff with or without winning the conference title.

But with a tough road loss to Auburn, Georgia has to win out and win the SEC championship game to get into the playoff.

Winning out the regular season should not be too difficult for the Bulldogs. Georgia has Kentucky and Georgia Tech remaining on their schedule, and the Bulldogs are favored to win against both teams. The SEC championship game will be the biggest threat to Georgia’s playoff hopes.

There is a chance that the Bulldogs could play Auburn again. This time, Georgia would likely have a little bit more of an advantage than they did at Auburn, since the conference title game is played in Atlanta, just up the road from Athens. And since they have faced the Tigers before, the Bulldogs would be more prepared if they were to play a second time.

However, Georgia is much more likely to face Alabama in the SEC championship. Alabama is no stranger to the conference title game. The Crimson Tide has won three straight SEC championship games, and they have made six appearances in the conference title game since Nick Saban took over as head coach in 2007.

Alabama has a team that knows what it takes to win the conference title. Georgia, on the other hand, has not played in the SEC championship game since 2012. The Bulldogs have not won the conference title since 2005.

As Saban’s longtime defensive coordinator, second-year Georgia coach Kirby Smart did gain experience with coaching SEC champion teams. But this is his first conference championship game as a head coach, and the Bulldogs have a young team lead by a true freshman quarterback.

Georgia does have one of the strongest schedules in the nation. They have quality wins over teams that have been ranked in the playoff standings, and the Bulldogs’ one loss is to a top 10 team. Defeating Alabama will be difficult, but not impossible. If they can pull it off, Georgia will be in the playoff.