Former Gator Coach Dan Mullen Insists UGA Football Must Do This to Return to the CFP
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart and UGA football are about to take the field Between the Hedges, and former Gator coach Dan Mullen said there was one specific thing the No. 1 Dawgs would have to do to return to the College Football Playoff this winter.
Mullen said Thursday night that Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs will have to win the SEC Championship Game in December, or “they will miss the playoff.”
That was not the case in 2021 when Georgia lost to Alabama in Atlanta before topping the Tide in Indianapolis for the program’s first national title since 1980. Georgia is ranked No. 1 heading into the 2023 season. The Bulldogs have played in all but one of the SEC Championship Games since 2017.
“They have six started back on both sides of the ball. They have great depth,” Mullen continued. “Two things are critical for winning the national title - health and schedule. Both of those are in Georgia’s favor. They've been there and know how to do it.”
The Bulldogs have won the last two College Football Playoff National Championship Games. Georgia has played in the CFP three times in the last six years.
"I picked them in the playoff, however if they lose the SEC Championship Game they won't get in. They have to win the SEC Championship Game,” Mullen said on ESPN Thursday night.
It remains to be seen who the Bulldogs would play should they get to Atlanta. Alabama and LSU are considered the favorites to win the SEC West. Those two programs are the only two SEC West schools to play in the SEC Championship Game since 2018.
No. 1 Georgia will kickoff against Tennessee-Martin at 6 PM on Saturday Between the Hedges. The game is being shown on SEC Network+ and ESPN+.
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