When the Oct. 20 AP Poll drops, Oregon will presumably occupy the No. 1 ranking that Texas vacates. But from the Ducks to the Longhorns to former No. 1 Alabama, a fair question to ponder is whether this is all just keeping that spot warm for preseason favorite Georgia.
The Bulldogs’ 30-15 win at Texas in Week 8 served as a microcosm for Georgia’s 2024 season: a sometimes dominant, sometimes bizarre roller-coaster ride. There were stretches when Georgia looked unbeatable and others when they seemed especially vulnerable.
But once the smoke—and the trash that Texas fans threw onto the Darrell K. Royal Stadium turf in response to a defensive holding call—cleared, the Bulldogs left Austin with a road win over the No. 1 team.
Even with a loss, Georgia now boasts perhaps the most impressive College Football Playoff resume among all contenders, highlighted by its two strongest wins. Clemson hasn’t just won every game it has played since the Bulldogs mauled it in Week 1, but has done so by no fewer than 16 points each time.
Texas had similarly come into Week 8 having steamrolled all comers. A 31-12 blowout at reigning national champion Michigan was the closest final score and was only within 19 points thanks to a cosmetic Wolverines touchdown in the final two minutes.
Saturday’s result wasn’t a replay of what we have seen play out so many times over the last decade: the Longhorns getting some wins, generating buzz that they have returned to national title contention, only to slip on the proverbial banana peel and spark a wave of sarcastic “Texas is back!” posts on social media.
No, this was a good Texas team that could still contend for the national championship thanks to the expanded field throwing everything it had at Georgia. And this was Georgia responding to some of the worst possible scenarios, most notably Carson Beck throwing three interceptions and still winning by two touchdowns.
The win suggests that Georgia’s return to No. 1 may be inevitable. However, the nature of the win also indicates that the Bulldogs may just as likely be destined for another stumble.
As noted, Saturday’s game had a peculiar flow that emulated much of Georgia’s campaign as a whole. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 20-0 first-half lead, only for Texas to pull within a touchdown going into the fourth quarter.
Beck’s interceptions continued a season-long trend of the erstwhile Heisman Trophy hopeful looking erratic at times. His touchdown-to-interception ratio for the season is less than 2-to-1 at 15 scores and eight picks, and Beck has been at his worst in key moments.
To wit, Saturday’s 175 yards against Texas marked his second performance with fewer than 240 passing yards and a completion percentage below 62.5. The other was in the 41-34 loss at Alabama, an outcome that becomes more puzzling with each lackluster performance the Crimson Tide has had since.
While Georgia boasts multiple-score wins over championship-contending opponents Clemson and Texas, the Bulldogs had more trouble in wins of 13-12 and 41-31 against a middling Kentucky and a basement-dwelling Mississippi State.
The defeat of MSU—which, to Georgia’s credit, was a 17-point margin for much of the second half—was more noteworthy for coach Kirby Smart shoving Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. than for anything that happened on the field.
Perhaps facing some regular-season difficulties is to Georgia’s benefit in the long run. The 2021 Bulldogs spent 12 games destroying all their opponents, garnering comparisons to all-time great teams like the 2001 Miami Hurricanes, only to lose the SEC Championship Game by three scores.
Georgia got a mulligan against Alabama a month later, but teams are rarely afforded such opportunities for redemption. The 2023 Bulldogs learned that lesson firsthand.
As for the 2024 Georgia, the version that showed up for most of the night against Texas can beat any other team vying for the playoff. Another version that also showed up in Austin might bow out without a championship.
