BREAKING: UGA Football Gets First Ranking in 12-Team College Football Playoff Rankings
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart and UGA Football were ranked No. 3 in the first College Football Playoff Committee rankings of the year Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs are ranked No. 2 in both the Coaches’ and AP Poll as well. Kirby Smart’s one-loss Bulldogs have used an offense that scores over 30 nearly all the time, but has had flaws and a stout defense to get to a 7-1 start to the season. The Bulldogs take on No. 16 (CFP) Ole Miss Saturday afternoon at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium in Oxford. The Rebels pounded Arkansas 63-31 in Fayettville last Saturday. The game between the Rebels and Dawgs is one of only two of top 25 matchups this weekend.
The Bulldogs have wins over No. 23 Clemson and No. 5 Texas and a loss to No. XX Alabama, meaning the Dawgs have played one of the most-difficult schedules in college football.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF 2024 WEEK ONE TOP SIX
1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Miami
5. Texas
6. Penn State
7. Tennessee
8. Indiana
9. BYU
10. Notre Dame
11. Alabama
12. Boise State
13. SMU
14. Texas A&M
15. LSU
16. Ole Miss
17. Iowa State
18. Pitt
19. Kansas State
20. Colorado
21. Washington State
22. Louisville
23. Clemson
24. Missouri
25. Army
No. 1 Teams in First CFP Rankings
2023 - Ohio State
2022 - Tennessee
2021 - Georgia ***
2020 - Alabama ***
2019 - Ohio State
2018 - Clemson ***
2017 - Georgia
2016 - Alabama
2015 - Clemson
2014 - Mississippi State
*** - Won the national title
UGA-OLE MISS QUICK NOTES
The No. 16-ranked Ole Miss Rebels are currently 7-2 with a home loss to Kentucky and a road loss to LSU.
Lane Kiffin’s Rebels have an impressive 27-3 win over South Carolina on the resume along with a 34-point win over Wake Forest, a 12-point win over Oklahoma, and a 32-point win over Arkansas last weekend.
The Rebels tallied 694 yards of offense against Arkansas including a school record 562 passing yards by Jaxson Dart. His top target, Jordan Watkins, set school marks with 254 yards and five TDs on just eight catches. He scored twice from 62 yards and once from 66.
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Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart leads college football with 3,210 passing yards. His 21 passing touchdowns are tied for 3rd for most in college football.
The Rebels are 2nd in college football in total offense, earning an average of 555 yards per game and 7.7 yards per play. Both are tops in the SEC.
The Rebels rank 22nd in total defense, giving up an average of 316 yards per game.
Ole Miss ranks 2nd in college football in rushing defense, allowing just 82 rushing yards per game and 2.28 yards per rush. They’ve also allowed just four rushing touchdowns this season.
However, Ole Miss ranks just 91st in passing defense, allowing 234 passing yards per game.
The Rebels rank 6th in scoring defense, allowing just 13.2 points per game. They rank 4th in scoring offense, averaging 42.1 points per game.
Ole Miss ranks 2nd in team sacks, getting the opposing quarterback on the ground 41 times for an average of 4.5 sacks per game.
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The Georgia-Ole Miss Series
This Saturday’s road game with the Rebels marks just the 17th trip to Oxford and the first since 2016. Overall, Georgia leads the series 33-13-1 including 10-6 in Oxford.
The teams first met in 1940 in Athens, a 28-14 Rebel victory. Over the years, the teams have squared off in Memphis, Jackson and Atlanta along with the on-campus contests. Lately, it’s the Bulldogs with the upper hand as they have won 12 of the past 13 meetings. Georgia is 1-1 against Ole Miss under Kirby Smart. After a 3-0 start in 2016, the Rebels handed Smart and the Bulldogs their first loss, 45-14. It would be seven years before they met again.
Last year, second-ranked Georgia whipped then ninth-ranked Ole Miss 52-17 on Senior Night Between the Hedges.
Georgia Versus Ole Miss Since 2016
2016 in Oxford: #23 Ole Miss d. #12 Georgia 45-14
2023 in Athens: #2 Georgia d. #9 Ole Miss 52-17
2023 Georgia-Ole Miss Flashback
The Bulldog offense produced a season-high 611 yards on just 61 plays, extending a 28-14 halftime advantage into a 52-17 victory. Ole Miss struck first on its opening drive with a TD. The Bulldogs answered with a pair of first quarter scores for a 14-7 edge. The Rebels reached the end zone just once more in the second quarter before being held to a field goal in the second half. Georgia’s Carson Beck finished 18-for-25 for 306 yards and two TDs while Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart went 10-
for 17 for 112 yards and no TDs.
The Bulldogs piled up 300 rushing yards on 35 attempts and were led by Kendall Milton (9-for-127, 2 TDs). Bulldog freshman CJ Allen led all tacklers with nine stops. Georgia’s senior class finished with a perfect 22-0 career record on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium.