BREAKING: Georgia Bulldogs Ranked No. 1 After Win over Kentucky Wildcats
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs were once again ranked No. 1 in this week’s College Football Playoff Committee rankings.
The ranking was not a surprise after the No. 1 Dawgs went on the road and Kentucky 16-6. Georgia dismissed former No. 1 Tennessee 27-13 three Saturdays ago in a one-sided affair in Sanford Stadium. That game is the most-watched college football game of this year. Ohio State struggled, but won at Maryland. Michigan and TCU stayed undefeated with late FGs to win the game.
Georgia Back at No. 1 in the CFP Rankings
The No. 1 Dawgs are set to take on Georgia Tech Between the Hedges on Saturday. That game kicks off at noon on ESPN. Georgia is considered a 35.5-point favorite to beat the Jackets, UGA’s win over State wrapped up the SEC East for the fifth time in six years. The win over Kentucky marked the second season in a row where the No. 1 Dawgs went undefeated in the SEC. No. 2 Ohio State hosts No. 3 Michigan this Saturday at noon on FOX. No. 4 TCU hosts Iowa State. That game will kick at 4 PM on FOX.
"You know Georgia is in," ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit said last Tuesday night of the Bulldogs.
Much of the top of the College Football Playoff was unchanged this week after a rocky week after the first rankings.
2022 College Football Playoff Week Four
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. TCU
5. LSU
6. USC
7. Alabama
8. Clemson
9. Oregon
10. Tennessee
11. Penn State
12. Kansas State
13. Washington
14. Utah
15. Notre Dame
16. Florida State
17. North Carolina
18. UCLA
19. Tulane
20. Ole Miss
21. Oregon State
22. UCF
23. Texas
24. Cincinnati
25. Louisville
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Rankings Review
*In 2022, the Bulldogs checked in at No. 3 in the CFP rankings last in the first rankings this season. Last year, Georgia was No. 1 in all five regular season CFP rankings and were No. 3 on selection day.
*Georgia transitioned from No. 3 in the preseason poll to No. 2 after week one and then to No. 1 in the Associated Press (AP) poll prior to the South Carolina game in mid September.
*After whipping the Gamecocks 48-7, the Bulldogs assumed the top spot in the Coaches poll as well. The Bulldogs were a consensus No. 1 for the next two weeks. Then Georgia fell to No. 2 in both the AP/Coaches polls following its 26-22 road win at Missouri on Oct. 1. After a 42-10 win over Auburn in week six, the Bulldogs reclaimed the top spot in the AP poll.
*Georgia has been ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in 26 of the past 28 AP polls, with the other two weeks at No. 3.
SENIORS AIM TO LEAVE THEIR MARK
Top-ranked Georgia (11-0) enters the Tech contest aiming to complete a second straight perfect regular season. The Yellow Jackets (5-6) are riding high following a 21-17 upset of No. 13 North Carolina (9-2) in Chapel Hill. Georgia became just the third SEC team since 1992 to complete back-to-back 8-0 campaigns in conference play after a 16-6 road win over Kentucky. Tech overcame a 17-0 second-quarter deficit to eliminate UNC’s hopes of making the College Football Playoff.
Behind the running of senior Kenny McIntosh, who had a career-high 143 yards including a touchdown, three field goals by Jack Podlesny, and a stout defense, the Bulldogs claimed the SEC Eastern Division title outright in Lexington. With its top two quarterbacks sidelined, Georgia Tech relied on the duo of Zach Gibson and Taisunh Phom- machanh as they shared playing time in the win over UNC. Meanwhile, the Tech defense pressured Heisman Trophy candidate Drake Mayo all day, and the Tar Heels had their worst offensive showing of the year. They had been ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring (40.1 ppg) and total offense (505.5 ypg). UNC finished with 17 points and 365 yards.
The Bulldog seniors will be recognized before the Tech game. This Bulldog class has an opportunity to set the school record for the most career wins. They tied the mark set by the 2021 national champions with their 45th last Saturday. The 2021 class finished 45-8 while the 2022 seniors are 45-5.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart is now 77-15 in this his seventh season of leading the Bulldogs. Tech’s interim coach, Brent Key, now has a pair of road wins over ranked teams in his first seven games. The first road win came over then No. 24 Pittsburgh, a 26-21 decision, in his first game at the helm.
The Bulldogs lead the Tech series 69-39-5 including 31-14-1 in Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium. Georgia has won the last four meetings with Tech upsetting the Bulldogs 28-27 in Athens in 2016. The teams did not play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic where only conference contests were held. Last year in Atlanta, Georgia completed a 12-0 regular season with a 45-0 shutout of Tech. The 45-point margin of victory tied for the largest in the series history, matching the 2019 outcome in Athens when the Bulldogs cruised to a 52-7 win.
FLASHBACK: TOP-RANKED DOGS BLANK GEORGIA TECH 45-0
Georgia scored at least a touchdown in all four quarters to beat Georgia Tech for the fourth consecutive time. While Jack Podlesny initiated the scoring with a 38-yard field goal in the first quarter and Daijun Edwards completed the rout with a three-yard scoring run in the final period, a total of six Bulldogs scored as UGA wrapped up a 12-0 regular season. Stetson Bennett finished the game 14-for-20 for 255 yards and four touchdowns and Brock Bowers had 100 receiving yards on three catches to go along with two touchdowns. Georgia outgained the Yellow Jackets 463-166 and Georgia Tech never made it past the Bulldog 27 yard line. Former Bulldog and current Philadelphia Eagle Nakobe Dean was the team leader in defense with six stops.
BULLDOG BITES
*Georgia is aiming to complete its sixth undefeated regular season in school history and second straight under Kirby Smart. These special seasons came in 1896 (4-0), 1946 (10-0), 1980 (11-0), 1982 (11-0) and 2021 (12-0).
*The Bulldogs are looking to go undefeated at home for the fifth time in seven seasons under Smart.