Here’s how Georgia can get to BCS game (step by step) (UPDATED)
Will Georgia players and fans have something to celebrate with a BCS title berth? (AP photo)
(Video added below)
It wasn’t long after Georgia’s win over Florida when I received a few emails and messages on Twitter asking whether the Bulldogs could make it to the BCS championship game. So while this certainly qualifies as putting the cart before the horse – or the crystal trophy before even the SEC East – here’s an outline of what has to happen for the Dogs to get to this year’s BCS title game in Miami on Jan. 7.
1. No. 6 Georgia needs to win its final four regular season games: Mississippi (home), at Auburn (which potentially clinches the East), Georgia Southern (home) and Georgia Tech (home). The Dogs will be favored in all four. They are 14-to-17½-point favorites over Mississippi. Georgia also can’t afford to look unimpressive in the wins because there is a chance that voters in the two polls used in the BCS equation drop them in the rankings.
2. No. 1 Alabama likely needs to beat No. 5 LSU. The reason for that is if Georgia and LSU both win out, LSU is staying ahead of Georgia but there’s no guarantee that Alabama would drop behind the Dogs if they lose this Saturday to the Tigers. So Georgia’s only assurance of passing one of the two (LSU) is an Alabama win.
3. Two of the following three schools need to lose a game: No. 2 Kansas State and/or No. 3 Notre Dame and/or No. 4 Oregon. Let’s break this down by school:
• Kansas State doesn’t get much love because it plays in what remains of the Big 12. But the Wildcats are coming off impressive wins over West Virginia (55-14) and Tech Tech (55-24). They have their two toughest remaining opponents at home – Oklahoma State this week and Texas in the final week – as well as TCU and Baylor on the road. Kansas State’s biggest break: There is no Big 12 championship game anymore — the conference has only 10 schools, two under the minimum, after the defections of Nebraska and Colorado. So it can just sit back and watch the others play, except for …
• Notre Dame also will not play in a conference championship game as a result of being independent. Bu the Irish still must play at USC in the final week. (So Georgia fans could be in the position of rooting for Lane Kiffin.) Notre Dame’s other three games: Pittsburgh (home), at Boston College and Wake Forest (home).
• Oregon has by far the most difficult remaining schedule, playing three ranked teams – at USC (No. 17 BCS) this week, home against Stanford (14) Nov. 17 and at rival Oregon State (11) in the final game. The Ducks also play at home against Cal.
4. If all of that happens, the Dogs can finish as one of BCS’s top two teams if they accomplish just one more thing: defeat Alabama in the SEC championship game. In other words, they would have to beat the nation’s best team for the conference title just for a chance to play for the opportunity to be the best team for the national title.
That would be the most difficult win of all.
So anybody want to put some odds on this?
By Jeff Schultz
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511 comments Add your comment
Thomas Brown
October 29th, 2012
1:33 pm
Georgie tek has not won a major bowl game since 1955, and that was 57 seasons’ ago. Bobby Dodd is a college drop-out.
Thomas Brown
October 29th, 2012
1:35 pm
You must not have watched the same game we did. Florida beat South Carolina and LSU and could not match our intensity, now could they ?
Don’t tell me The SEC West hammers what I saw Saturday.
kingdaddy
October 29th, 2012
1:35 pm
Smart
at least we didn’t get humiliated by MTSU…
GTBob
October 29th, 2012
1:36 pm
GT Bob
I disagree ND played who
They have played Navy, Purdue, Oklahoma, Michigan, Michigan St, Miami, Stanford, and BYU. That is a pretty good gauntlet of teams they have played. They have no real cupcakes on their schedule and they play several ranked teams. UGA has only played two teams this year that have a winning record and they got bombed by one of them.
Thomas Brown
October 29th, 2012
1:38 pm
Who cares what you do in your games BUCK ? You have NOT beat a single team ranked in the BCS top rankings. You have no great win like we do and cannot match # 7 FL as our best win. Go beat somebody and bring your BS back in here when you do.
Sammy
October 29th, 2012
1:38 pm
If you listened to me, and picked the Dogs, and put a good bit of money on it, you made a few thousand.
If you listened to Jeff, and bet on Gators, you lost your shirt.
UGA will win out the next 4 games, and if UGA beats Bama, odss are HEAVILY AGAINST BAMA repeating as National Champion (Bama has 3% chance of winning two in a row–happens once ever 3 decades or so), then UGA is going to Miami.
Thomas Brown
October 29th, 2012
1:40 pm
Notre Dame’s best hope for their best win in last game against today Southern California # 17.
I mean wow. BCS # 17 we beat # 17. Hogwash Notre Dame beat top team like we did # 7 BCS Ranked Florida, who themselves have wins over BCS # 8 South Carolina and BCS # 5 LSU.
Thomas Brown
October 29th, 2012
1:40 pm
Notre Dame. I thought Georgie tek was bragging you hadn’t lost to a religious school in how long was it ?
War Mongrel
October 29th, 2012
1:42 pm
Tommy, that FL/GA game was an embarrassment for the SEC…not impressed with dancing, trash-talking, ignorance..nor would Bama or LSU be impressed…either of which would beat Georgia by 20+…please refrain from any further posting if delusion is your guiding principle…
GTBob
October 29th, 2012
1:42 pm
Ate at a restaurant Saturday and saw a fat kid, mom and dork dad wearing white jersey with gold on it and some silly number. That’s Georgie tek football. That’s what they know, about this.
They were probably nice people. Very classy to trash random strangers because you don’t like the way they look.
wth
October 29th, 2012
1:42 pm
Eyeball test – UGA has not looked good, top to bottom, except against Vandy. Florida did more self imploding than anything. Alabama has been clean, efficient, and dominant in every game. UGA would embarrass the SEC if they played one of the other top rated contenders.
Thomas Brown
October 29th, 2012
1:44 pm
Losing to Middle Tennessee State college was not humiliating to Georgie tek; that Middle Tennessee State college lost to McNeese State and lost to Lousiana Monroe is what is humiliating to Georgie tek.
kingdaddy
October 29th, 2012
1:44 pm
Flats
All I have EVER said, was that we “could” make it to the NC if we win out and beat Bama (@#1) in the SEC-CG! I don’t do kool-aid , but I do support the Dawgs even when they fall down. Which is more than I can say for some Dawg fans. You know who you are…
Cuz
October 29th, 2012
1:44 pm
The odds have to be astronomical. Maybe I should put ten dollars on it with Vegas and retire as a millionaire if it happens.
War Mongrel
October 29th, 2012
1:45 pm
Tommy, please be quiet…
Just the Facts
October 29th, 2012
1:45 pm
@Bobby Dodd. WTF? Cap One and Outback, major bowls? You’ve got to be joking. Always had been and always will be the big 4 and maybe used to include cotton, but it’s been relegated to Cap One level after the SWC died.
LawDawg
October 29th, 2012
1:46 pm
Alphare – you realize the SEC, not UGA, sets the schedule. The lack of LSU and Bama on the UGA schedule (oh, and LSU instead of Auburn is the only difference in the schedules between UF and UGA) is a scheduling fluke.
What would you be saying if LSU was down and Auburn was up?
Thomas Brown
October 29th, 2012
1:46 pm
Florida did NOT self-implode. We caused those 8 picks and strips and had the intensity to follow that up, and get 6 of them, which we handed to our offense who punched the 1st one in for a TD and the last one in for a TD, while our Defense held Florida out of the end zone all day long. We had more total offense than Florida on 10 fewer plays and held Florida to 83 yards rushing while Todd Gurley and our offense rushed for 123 yards by direct comparison.
David C
October 29th, 2012
1:47 pm
You had me till #4. Georgia will not be Bama this year. They are the exact type of team that Georgia does not like facing. Just uses S. Carolina game is a prime example. Everything else is very possible.
David C
October 29th, 2012
1:47 pm
You had me till #4. Georgia will not be Bama this year. They are the exact type of team that Georgia does not like facing. Just uses S. Carolina game is a prime example. Everything else is very possible.
Tim (UGA)
October 29th, 2012
1:48 pm
Where are all the people that posted last week how we were going to lose to Florida? How i was going to be the same ol’ dogs? Now it’s others starting to mention how we can’t beat Alabama. Well, we can beat Alabama if our defense plays with emotion.
wth
October 29th, 2012
1:53 pm
Sorry, but teams that can rack up 130+ yards in penalties and are that undisciplined will never win a national championship. Just my opinion. Frankly, UGA was lucky to get out of Lexington with a win. That’s ridiculous. I know you may have to win an ugly game on the way to a championship, but game after game of it? And to be blown out in another. Sorry – don’t think it can or should happen.
Dawg Fud
October 29th, 2012
1:55 pm
Odds are 75 to 1 all of that happens……………..
GTBob
October 29th, 2012
1:56 pm
Notre Dame’s best hope for their best win in last game against today Southern California # 17.
Their best win was against a top 10 Oklahoma team at their place. Here are some more numbers:
UGA opponents overall record: 29-37
Notre Dame’s opponents overall record: 38-27
UGA Sagarin SOS ranking: 38th
Notre Dame Sagarin SOS ranking: 10th
UGA opponents with winning records: 2
Notre Dame opponents with winning records: 6
Big Al
October 29th, 2012
1:57 pm
Gonna be hell for Georgia to win out while playing the likes of Ole Miss, Auburnt and Georgia Tech!!!
Thomas Brown
October 29th, 2012
1:57 pm
Look Jordan Reed sitting there crying like a baby, was not because he goofed. Jarvis Jones came up from behind, and measured himself. He caught him from behind, then glided to measure his play. He reached around with his right arm and took the ball out of his hands. He then followed the ball into the end zone to recover it where Bacarri Rambo had already scooped it up. Crying doesn’t mean he was not out-done by Jarvis Jones. He was. Jordan Reed did not flip the ball up and into the end zone. It was taken away on a very measured play by Jarvis Jones – the most Celebrated UGA Linebacker in our 120-year history at UGA.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
October 29th, 2012
1:57 pm
kingdaddy
I guess I didnt get the memo 4 decades ago that when you pull for UGA that you should expect them to beat 1 top 20 in the last 4 yrs and get used to 9 blowout losses every 4 yrs just like we have had in the last 4 years as well
Zing
October 29th, 2012
1:58 pm
Not so sure that #2 makes sense… if LSU beats AL and GA and LSU meet in the SEC championship game (and GA wins), do you think the poll voters are going to continue to rank AL ahead of GA? Maybe if something weird happened (like a loss to GA Tech) but I don’t see that happening to a one-loss GA team.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
October 29th, 2012
2:00 pm
GT Boob
The opponents ND plays; play joke teams;
Who does BY-who play I mean lets get real
Bdawg
October 29th, 2012
2:00 pm
I think it would be better for LSU to beat Bama. If so I thing Ga could beat LSU and if they win all of there games they would be ahead of both. Still would need 2 of the other 3 to loose but it could happen
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
October 29th, 2012
2:01 pm
KingDaddy…..it is so cold I bet you have some Man Shrinkage…..LOL
I still say UGa didn’t WIN as much as Both teams gave the Game away. The GATOR trying to do an ESPN HIGHLIGHT hurdle cost the Gators the shot at Overtime. The DB that Overplayed the Pass to MM and allowed him to Score/get in scoring range was also the killer.
Husky football review: Three likes and dislikes about the 20-17 victory over … – The Seattle Times » zoozzyfastcash
October 29th, 2012
2:02 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution [...]
kingdaddy
October 29th, 2012
2:03 pm
This has not been a perfect year, but it is shaping-up to be a very good year. Negative posters are heart-broken over our win in Jax. They say UF had a bad game, but they don’t say the same for UGA at Columbia. This shows their bias. They were pulling against the Dawgs “before” the S.C. game. They screamed we haven’t beaten a top 10 team. Now that we have, they have to go back to the Gamecocks loss or UF had a bad game. You will never give UGA its due and this makes you irrevalant and petty. We are 7-1 and ranked #6 no matter what you guys think. The fact that you can’t deal with reality puts you in a bad light, not us…just who’s delusional???
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
October 29th, 2012
2:05 pm
UGa’s CRAPPY schedule will be their undoing in the voters eyes even IF UGa wins out.
UGa played 2 OVER-RANKED teams and went. 500. that is not GREAT and BCS worthy in voters eyes.
Scott
October 29th, 2012
2:05 pm
other 1-loss teams would get in over UGA. UGA’s schedule has been an absolute joke.
GTBob
October 29th, 2012
2:05 pm
The opponents ND plays; play joke teams;
Oklahoma, Stanford, Michigan, and Mich St are joke teams. Nice to know. Let me guess. You think Vandy would destroy Oklahoma, don’t you?
Ed
October 29th, 2012
2:07 pm
I don’t care about mythical championships – we have a shot at the SEC Championship if we take care of business against what looks like two overmatched conference opponents. If so, we’ll have our shot at Alabama (most likely) or LSU.
If UGA goes 12-1 with an SEC Championship, including a win over either Alabama or LSU, then whatever happens after that means little to me. That’s a glorious season.
But I realize a lot of other Georgia fans disagree with me over the meaningfulness of the crystal football trophy. I’ll take a trip to the “title game”, but would rather take care of the official championship first. One more and we tie Tennessee for 2nd place all-time in the conference with 13 championships.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
October 29th, 2012
2:08 pm
People saying it is bad to CRY after a Big mistake are just wrong.
Human EMOTIONS are expressed in many ways and Crying is one of those ways.
Is it CLASSY or MANLY to run you F…ing mouth in your opponents face after making a play?
I have seen MANY a MAN CRY over a myriad of events in their lives.
kingdaddy
October 29th, 2012
2:09 pm
Woulda, coulda, shoulda…
GTBob
October 29th, 2012
2:14 pm
Let me ask an honest question. Do UGA fans truly believe after watching their team play this year that they are one of the two best teams in the country?
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
October 29th, 2012
2:15 pm
kingdaddy
the reality is you havent watched Bama play
You really think our offense not being able to get but only 1 3rd down conversion; 123 yds on the ground; 150 yds passing and 3 turnovers is going to march down the field on bama
and a team that had 130 yds of penalties
lol
if you do I have some property for sale in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean
Im ecstatic we beat FL why do you think my name has been flat tire for these years; cause I was tired of losing to them
the reality is yea we beat FL whose team doesnt have as near the talent we had this year and yet we still look sloppy doing it
concerning the SC; SC has no where near the talent UGA has and we looked liked we didnt even belong on the same field
and yea 0-10 vs the top 10 deserves screaming about from a program that puts more players in the NFL than any other SEC school
its about time you come to reality with all these national title dreams
kingdaddy
October 29th, 2012
2:17 pm
Smarticus
MTSU…
Cdpridg
October 29th, 2012
2:17 pm
What does everybody think about those Dawgs!!!
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
October 29th, 2012
2:18 pm
GT Boob
Michigan and Michigan St play in this years laughable Big 10 conference
Stanford plays Oregon and thats it
OK played K-St and we know what happened to them and thats the only good team they will play
By-who plays who again
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
October 29th, 2012
2:21 pm
KingDaddy…………………BOBO
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
October 29th, 2012
2:21 pm
KingDaddy……………PMS MURRAY……:roll:
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
October 29th, 2012
2:22 pm
Sammy
October 29th, 2012
2:23 pm
Notre Dame or Oregon doesn’t play any top 6 ranked teams.
Bama plays 1.
Kansas St plays 1
LSU plays 1.
Georgia has already faced 2 top 6 ranked teams.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
October 29th, 2012
2:26 pm
Cdpridg
October 29th, 2012
2:17 pm
What does everybody think about those Dawgs!!!
========================================
I think even a new born runt bulldog puppy can find the Tit to SURVIVE for for another week.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
October 29th, 2012
2:28 pm
Sammy……………..you really THINK UGa, USC and Florida are TRULY top 10 teams?
Look at UGa’s Road games.