ATHENS — Georgia made sure there would be no debate over the top spot in the College Football Playoff poll when it was released Tuesday night.
The No. 1 ranked Bulldogs (9-1, 7-1 SEC) jumped out to a 31-0 lead en route to their 48-21 victory over No. 22 Missouri on Saturday.
“They’re the No. 1 team in the country,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said, “they’ve done that to a lot of people that have come here.”
Georgia has been shooting for doors in its last three outings, jumping Florida (24-0), Ole Miss (35-0) and now Missouri (31-0).
“I think we rely a lot on analytics,” Hunter Yurachek, chairman of the CFP selection committee, said last Tuesday, “but in the case of Georgia, we rely a lot on watching film and their games.”
The film study on No. 3 Alabama (8-2) might not hold up well enough for the Crimson Tide to maintain its ranking after a less-than-impressive 21-6 win over hapless Vanderbilt (4-6).
Alabama only managed 309 total yards and lost the turnover battle to the Commodores, 0-2.
UCLA, meanwhile, improved its record to an impressive 10-0 with its 22-14 victory over Illinois (6-4) on Friday night and Notre Dame (9-1) asserted itself in a 41-7 victory over Boston College.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Bruins and/or Irish overtake the Crimson Tide in the top five.
Alabama’s road win against No. 11 Kentucky and No. 21 LSU fell in value, the Wildcats lost 21-14 at home to unranked Florida (6-4) and the Tigers fell at home in the final seconds to Texas, 22-21.
The Longhorns’ 8-2 win over LSU keeps Texas in contention for the SEC championship and should keep the second half of the Top 10 in relative order.
Miami (9-1) was very impressive in its 36-25 victory over Duke (7-3), as was Tennessee (8-2) in overcoming Friday’s travel complications to beat Texas A&M, 22-7, in College Station.
Defending national champion Indiana, which fell five spots in last week’s CFP rankings despite missing a game during a bye week, put its foot down with a 27-13 home win over No. 18 USC.
Wake Forest (9-1), with its dominant 49-7 road win at SMU (7-3), could be on the verge of breaking into the Top 10.
Here’s what the CFP rankings should look like when they’re released Tuesday at 9 p.m. (TV: ESPN), provided the chalk is taken and:
• Utah number 2 wins its very late match against Arizona,
• No. 12 Texas Tech wins its Top 25 road battle at Oklahoma State and,
• No. 19 Ole Miss wins on the road at Oklahoma on Sunday:
Projected Rankings
1. Georgia (9-1)
Beat No. 22 Missouri, 48-21
2. Utah 9-0
At No. 23 Arizona (DELAY)
3.UCLA (10-0)
Beat Illinois, 22-14 (Friday)
4.Alabama (8-2)
Beat Vanderbilt, 21-6
5. Notre Dame (9-1)
Beat Boston College, 41-7
6.Texas (8-2)
Won at No. 21 LSU, 22-21
7.Miami (9-1)
Beat Duke, 36-25
8. Indiana (9-1)
Beat No. 18 USC, 27-13
9. Tennessee (8-2)
Won at Texas A&M, 22-7
10. Wake Forest (9-1)
Won at SMU, 49-7
11. BYU (8-2)
Beat Baylor, 28-7
12. Texas Tech 8-1
At No. 25 Oklahoma State
13. Oregon (7-3)
Won at Michigan, 31-7
14. Ohio State (7-3)
Beat Northwestern, 28-19
15. Iowa (8-2)
Beat Purdue, 28-7
16. Ole Miss 6-3
In Oklahoma (Sunday)
17. Kentucky (7-3)
Lost to Florida, 21-14
18. USC (7-3)
Lost to #9 Indiana, 27-13
19. Louisville (7-3)
Won at North Carolina, 16-14
20. Boise State (9-1)
Beat Oregon State, 46-41
21. Houston (7-3)
Lost to Colorado, 42-32
22. Florida (6-4)
Won at No. 11 Kentucky, 21-14
23. LSU (6-4)
Lost to No. 6 Texas, 22-21
24. Arizona 7-2
Against. No. 2 Utah (LATE)
25. Missouri (6-4)
Lost to No. 1 Georgia, 48-21
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