UGA moves to No. 3 in BCS standings, within reach of national-title game
The scores from Eugene, Ore., and Waco, Texas, reverberated loudly across this state, seemingly putting the Georgia Bulldogs two victories away from playing for college football’s national championship.
Saturday night’s losses by previously No. 1 Kansas State (to Baylor) and previously No. 2 Oregon (to Stanford) triggered a celebration among Georgia fans and a shakeup of the Bowl Championship Series pecking order. In the latest BCS standings, released Sunday night, Notre Dame moved to No. 1, Alabama to No. 2 and Georgia to No. 3.
That means, BCS analysts agreed, that if Georgia beats Georgia Tech and Alabama beats Auburn this week, then the winner of the Dec. 1 SEC Championship game between the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide would play for the national title.
The top two teams in the final BCS standings, to be released Dec. 2, earn berths in the title game, which will be played Jan. 7 in Miami. Georgia has not played for a national championship in the BCS era and last won the title in the 1980 season.
The losses by Kansas State and Oregon came just one week after Alabama’s loss to Texas A&M seemingly left the SEC at serious risk of not putting a team in this season’s BCS title game. Last week, Alabama and Georgia were Nos. 4 and 5 in the standings, behind three undefeated teams. That meant the league with six consecutive national championships could get back to the title game only if two of the three unbeaten teams ahead of Alabama and Georgia lost a game.
And on one chaotic night, two of the three did just that.
“Thank you Baylor, thank you Stanford,” Georgia cornerback Sanders Commings reacted via Twitter.
“We control our own destiny,” UGA linebacker Christian Robinson tweeted.
The turn of events raised the stakes for Georgia’s regular-season finale against Georgia Tech. The rivals will play at noon Saturday in Sanford Stadium. The Bulldogs (10-1, 7-1 SEC) would be knocked out of the national-title picture by a loss to the Yellow Jackets (6-5, 5-3 ACC).
On his weekly teleconference with reporters Sunday night, Georgia coach Mark Richt was asked a half-dozen questions about the BCS picture. Each time, he responded by talking about the game against Tech.
Richt wouldn’t even say whether he watched the Oregon-Stanford and/or Kansas State-Baylor games.
“You know what? I was thinking about Tech that night, all night, knowing what a big game it is,” he said.
Alabama is in a similar situation this week, also facing its in-state rival. But while Georgia has clinched the SEC East’s berth for the league title game at the Georgia Dome, Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC) must beat Auburn (3-8, 0-7) to represent the Western Divison there.
The SEC, of course, wasn’t the only beneficiary of Kansas State’s 52-24 loss to Baylor and Oregon’s 17-14 overtime loss to Stanford.
Notre Dame (11-0) moved from No. 3 to No. 1 in the BCS standings and can assure itself a spot in the national-title game by winning its regular-season finale at USC.
Brad Edwards, ESPN’s BCS analyst, expressed confidence after Saturday’s results that the SEC Championship game winner would get the other berth, provided Georgia beats Tech and Alabama beats Auburn. Fellow analysts Mark May, Lou Holtz and Kirk Herbstreit agreed.
Of course, there could be complications that again scramble the picture, such as a loss by Notre Dame, Alabama or Georgia this week.
If Notre Dame loses, there would be no unbeaten team left in the national-championship mix, and there surely would be an intense debate about who should play the SEC champion in Miami. In that case, another SEC team — Florida, which is No. 4 in this week’s standings — could be next in line if it wins its regular-season finale against Florida State.
Oregon is No. 5, Kansas State No. 6 and LSU No. 7 in this week’s standings.
The BCS standings include three components that count one-third each: the USA Today poll of current coaches; the Harris Interactive poll of former coaches, administrators and players and current and former media members; and an average of six computer polls. Notre Dame is No. 1 in all three components this week.
Georgia is No. 3 in the USA Today poll (up from No. 4 last week), No. 3 in the Harris poll (up from No. 5) and No. 6 in the computers (same as last week). Alabama is No. 2 in the USA Today and Harris polls and No. 3 in the computers.
The Associated Press poll, which is not part of the BCS formula, also has Notre Dame No. 1, Alabama No. 2 and Georgia No. 3 this week.
– Tim Tucker, AJC
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367 comments Add your comment
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
1:20 am
You live in a fantasy land. Don’t put too much stock in near wins or losses.
Don’t underestimate the power of the “eye” test. Florida has not looked like a championship team this year.
Woman Alabama Fan
November 19th, 2012
1:24 am
Please stop counting your chickens before they hatch guys….There is alot of testosterone going on here when the fact remains IF GEORGIA BEATS GEORGIA TECH, then they will definitely be praying that Alabama is defeated by Auburn because they know DAM WELL THERE IS NO CHANCE IN HELL THAT THEY CAN DEFEAT THE TIDE….I AM NOT GOING TO GO INTO DETAILS BUT REALITY IS IT WILL BE A GREAT GAME! BUT THE TIDE LOST AGAINST TEXAS NOT BECAUSE TEXAS WAS A BETTER TEAM, BUT BECAUSE WE MADE SOME POOR CHOICES ON OFFENSIVE DECISIONS. IF AJ WOULD HAVE RUN THE BALL IN WE WOULD DEF STILL BE RANKED NO.1 WITH ND NO. 2! IT IS WHAT IT IS GUYS! ALABAMA IS NOW AND HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE THE BEST BCS CONTENDER AND STILL IS!
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 19th, 2012
1:25 am
Not So fast…..but Bama put away some of the bad teams early and played 2nd 3rd and 4th string players. UGa hasn’t done that this year and haven’t looked like a BCS Champion team either.
Your better teams put away the joke teams early and rest the starters.
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
1:26 am
it is funny how people don’t point out that Alabama’s schedule in the SEC was just as bad UGA’s
They played LSU, Texas A&M, and Miss St. Three good to decent SEC teams. UGA played two (USC, UF). They also played Michigan OOC who has turned out to not be that bad. They aren’t much better than UGA but a tad better. UGA really played a stinker of a schedule.
Not So Fast
November 19th, 2012
1:28 am
Just not going to happen GTbob the computer rankings are set in stone and they couldn’t justify having Oregon jump them especially if UGA wins out. Plus, like I said No team behind them in the computer rankings have any games left that can significantly change them. And in Oregons case they are already ahead of them in the human polls. But with a Nd loss to USC Florida would more than likely jump them. A Florida win would drop the Seminoles. The SeCCg loser would drop below Florida. The argument against Florida would be that they didn’t win their conference but unless Stanford loses this weekend neither will Oregon. That loss by Kansas State kills them not necessarily because they were trounced, but because of who they were beat by. But like I Said I doubt ND will lose.
Real Dawg Fan
November 19th, 2012
1:28 am
That Uf scenario blows because if that happens…Florida would have gotten a bye to the champ, while UGA and ALA have to play their way in.
GTbob
November 19th, 2012
1:28 am
I didnt go to GT. Am not smart enough to be accepted into GT, but i am a fan. My parents were GT fans, and I am a loser wishing i could go to Gt, but instead i go to marietta vo tech, and get a worthless degree.
Now who is the stupid one? I am, as I have zero knowledge about foootball, but i have to bash UGA cuz my parents told me too. I am a grown man, who cant get laid, get a promotion and yeah,
I AM ONE JEASLOUS, DUMBASS, TECH FAN. I AM MISERABLE, AND UGLY, TOO!
Not So Fast
November 19th, 2012
1:34 am
Florida, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt = LSU, Texas A&m, and Miss St. GtBob. Vanderbilt is 5-3 in SEC and Ms State is 4-3.
Not So Fast
November 19th, 2012
1:38 am
I’m telling you those computer rankings are crazy Real Dawg Fan….UGA’s computer rankings could actually drop after this weekend with a Florida and South Carolina loss even if they beat Tech.
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
1:41 am
Just not going to happen GTbob the computer rankings are set in stone
I am saying that the Coaches and Harris polls will drop Florida to a lower ranking to offset the computer polls. No way would the voters ever let UF into the title game.
Not So Fast
November 19th, 2012
1:41 am
I’m a UGA fan and GtBob can be a little annoying but not cool to hijack someone’s handle at all. Especially because even when he is annoying he doesn’t really do the personal attack thing. And you really know nothing about where he went to school.
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
1:44 am
Florida, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt = LSU, Texas A&m, and Miss St. GtBob. Vanderbilt is 5-3 in SEC and Ms State is 4-3.
Miss St’s only losses have been to the SEC’s three best teams so they get a little more credit. Vandy hasn’t even beaten a team with a winning record, and got drilled a pretty below average Northwestern team.
Not So Fast
November 19th, 2012
1:45 am
Yeah they could GTBob but with their computer rankings where they are at it would have to be a big drop and they would have to put several 2 loss teams in front of them. And I just don’t see that happening especially considering they would have beaten LSU, USC, Texas A&m, and FSU (in that hypothetical).
Where Dem Richt Haters At?
November 19th, 2012
1:49 am
All Of The CMR Haters – Where Are You -Now?
You get atleast two weeks off – Hopefully, A whole year – After UGA beats Bama and Notre Dame.
Go Dawgs.
Not So Fast
November 19th, 2012
1:53 am
Miss State tell me again who they beat? Their SEC schedule is remarkably similar to Vandys and they still at best can finish with the sabe SEC record or with one less win. Ms State lost to the West big three and Vandy to the East big three. But Vandy actually kept two of the three competitive, Ms State not so much…
Blake
November 19th, 2012
1:59 am
T-minus 6 days until all the talk from Tech fans erodes with their hopes of ever being a relevant program….about to be 11 out of 12 in the Richt era you silly yellow maggots!
Columbus
November 19th, 2012
3:49 am
Just win this week against Tech.
FORGET EVERYTHING EXCEPT BLOWING THE HONEYBEES OUT OF THE GAME EARLY ASAP.
POURING IT ON THEM, POUNDING THEM, DOMINATING THEM AND NEVER LETTING UP AND GET THE BACKUPS IN ASAP SO NO ONE GETS HURT….!!!
BAMA IS VERY BEATABLE. BUT WE ARE NOT PLAYING THEM THIS WEEK. FORGET THEM. THEY ARE IRRELAVANT.
Blake
November 19th, 2012
4:14 am
^ Exactly! One game at a time! At this point every game is the biggest game of your life. You can’t be champions without winning EVERY one.
TQ
November 19th, 2012
4:58 am
AHHH, How sweet it is! Y’All are Great! Happy Dawg Dang Monday To ALL!
gomdawg
November 19th, 2012
5:57 am
LET’S TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS THIS WEEK ,
GEORGIA 38 —– GT 24
GO DAWGS
BAND WAGON BOBBY
November 19th, 2012
6:11 am
I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING ALL OVER THE WEB FOR NEWS ON UGA AT #3. NOOOOO BODY IS GIVING US A SHOT AT ALL…EVERYONE IS FOCUSED ON THE LOSING TEAMS THIS WEEK OR THE NEW 1 AND 2…NOTHING ABOUT UGA…I AM PISSED….LETS KICK SOME BUTT AND GET THE RESPECT WE DESERVE……GOOOOOO DDDDAAAWWWGGSSSS!!!!!!!!
son's who?
November 19th, 2012
6:13 am
The only thing I am sure of, as I sit here with games still to be played, is that ESPN badly wants the Title game to be between Alabama and Notre Dame.
We (did) Run The East
November 19th, 2012
6:18 am
Over confident and Overrated, that is the state of the UGA football program. Got HUMILIATED by the best team UGA played (SC), FL gave it to UGA, and you Dawg Dorks think you are a quality team. NOT. Ok, since UGA is sooo good, when AL destroys UGA is SECCG will UGA finally wake up and admit they lost to the best teams they played, and team and CMR have no fight and no heart (see 10-6-2012, 35-7). What a bunch of overrrated mouth breathers. UGA is 3 rd best team in East and #5 in SEC and BCS standing will reflect this fact by seasons end.
son's who?
November 19th, 2012
6:18 am
If UGA beats Bama, Uga plays for the title and Bama plays in the Sugar Bowl. If Bama beats UGA, Bama plays for the title and UGA plays in Tampa or Orlando. LSU would go to NOLA,without a doubt.
That’s the reality, folks. And Tech can end up in Miami, as strange as it seems.
son's who?
November 19th, 2012
6:19 am
I’m sorry, USCe fans, but you’re just not part of the conversation.
Hurts, doesn’t it.
GT Bobby
November 19th, 2012
6:29 am
Bob you just hate, hate, hate UGA. Bobby get some help now. I see a heart attach or a stoke coming your way soon. hate will eat you up!
david
November 19th, 2012
6:33 am
GT Bob—Can u spell Middle Tennesse? I would be under a rock if I were you…DFC
tndawg
November 19th, 2012
6:36 am
GO DAWGS!!!
One game at a time! First Tech and then Alabama. Must win BOTH. But, then getting to the BCS championship game will have to be O.K.`d by the GODS at ESPN. If the GODS say Ga. does not deserve it then they will not get in. Sad, but true.
GO DAWGS!!
BigDawg
November 19th, 2012
6:39 am
Fellow Dawgs the only game that matters is Saturday in Athens against GT. Until the Dawgs take care of Tech it is irrelavant, the same for GT as they are waiting to see if Miami forfeits so they can go to the ACC Championship game but in reality the only game that really matters is in Athens between the Hedges.
Go Dawgs
Neutral
November 19th, 2012
7:08 am
GT will play in the ACC championship and go to a bowl in
Boise or Shreveport…….and finish with a 6-8 record. WAY TOO COOL!!!!
Go DAWGS!!!!
Justin
November 19th, 2012
7:19 am
Dawg rubes… Hold your heads high when taking the walk of shame out of the GA dome. I can hear the “wait for next year” banter already. So close!! (again) BwaaaHahahaha!!
Reservoir Dawg
November 19th, 2012
7:44 am
Bergamont, how many times are you going to post this?
Get a life.
RMikel58
November 19th, 2012
7:49 am
Simply put BEAT JACKETS 1st. You have got to find a way to get motivated to beat Ga. Tech because their motivation is to knock you off that ranking and spoil your season. Beating my Dawgs would give Tech the biggest upset in the history of its school.
They would never live it down for decades about that 2012 year and it could possibly save their coaches from being fired.
Plus you yourself would always hear about it and think about it the rest of your life. Its a haunting that would never go away.
Just think about how that would effect your season , your life and the SEC Championship. Youre the better team Dawgs and Tech is hoping for turnovers and momentum.
GET THE JOB DONE snd move on.
Focus on your assignments and dont worry about your offense or defense, take care of business and knock them out of the game early.
Stop the run and dont be baited into their trickery, options and soforth. Cover the ends and up the middle and youll be fine.
Play like its your last game youll ever play and hit them harder than they ever been hit before. No arm tackling, no penalties to give them new life. You got a warm up game with Ga. Southern and youve made corrections so go out and play like a #3 team is suppose to.
Shep
November 19th, 2012
7:52 am
The ratings flaw is that it all depends on when you lose. If Alabama had loss this week instead of two weeks ago, we would have been ranked second this week instead of third!
RMikel58
November 19th, 2012
8:00 am
When you guys play as a unit , youre unstoppable. You defensive players need to talk amongst eachother before saturdays game to make sure everyones intact with their assignments.
Defense is where we win and lose games.
Dont worry about the offense cause Murray will find his own way. This game comes down to you because you cant give Tech 4 and 5 yard chunks going up n down the field.
Reflect back to the Florida game where you totally dominated that game and then youll see thats how good you can be.
I dont think any BCS team could have beat you that day. One game at a time Dawgs! Get ready to Rumble and give Tech a knockout punch in the 1st Quarter to indicate who you are and how they wished that they were not playing you on this day.
If you get ahead by 3 touchdowns then keep pouring it on and that way theyll never forget how you shalacked them infront of your home crowd.
Old Dog Class of 80
November 19th, 2012
8:02 am
My guess is that we have as much chance of winning over Alabam as Georgia Tech has of winning over us on Saturday.
Where are the CMR haters? Right here; I haven’t gone anywhere.
What evidence have you seen this season for improved coaching? Yes, I have seen a little more variety in offensive plays. Recruitment of Jarvis Jones was probably the biggest positive (who did that?). Aaron Murray hasn’t made too many mistakes. Luckily our place kicking didn’t lose us any games and has improved over the season. CMR STILL plays AM exclusively.
I have said all along that all I want to see is good football played by a good football team. We had one game where we were perceived as the underdogs and won it – Florida. But did we WIN over Florida or did they LOSE to us. Looked like a battle of the turnovers, and we had LESS mistakes than they did (again, Jarvis Jones was the big playmaker).
If we do well this year, the thanks should go to Jarvis Jones, but with CMR there, he will probably credit Aaron Murray.
My wife commented on Saturday that it isn’t any fun watching a game where the Dawgs are expected to massacre the other team, and they do.
Jimmy Crack
November 19th, 2012
8:05 am
It is pretty sad, after all this great news, that certain miserable slugs insist on trying to wish bad news on this team as quickly as they can type. What self-imposed, tortured lives these immature creeps must have.
Rick in Macon
November 19th, 2012
8:06 am
So that’s how you get a top ranking? You schedule teams that are equivalent to middle school teams, you beat them then run around talking about how great you are? A rank of #3 is preposterous…UGA couldn’t beat Alabama if the Tide played the same 11 players on boths of the ball each series. They were lucky to have beaten Florida and Tennessee…those teams gave the game to UGA. Number 3, huh? I can’t stop laughing…hahahahahahaha. This will not end up pretty for UGA.
Jimmy Crack
November 19th, 2012
8:12 am
See?
Chuck
November 19th, 2012
8:19 am
Guess what DAWG fans….it’s our time and I have a feeling. Media, underestimate us if you want to but the game is played on the field and the DAWGS absolutely can beat “king” saban and the crimson tide. The stars have alined for the Georgia Bulldogs.
A RTR Hit-N-Run from ATL
November 19th, 2012
8:25 am
What’s the hate for Alabama’s schedule, we scheduled Michigan didn’t we? #8 at the time no?
Who did UGA schedule out of conference?
Scheduled Penn St the year before that and the year before that one. And the year before that it was a 7th ranked VT.
LSU scheduled Oregon btw.
So let’s say over the last three years, what was UGA’s out of conference schedule and how did it work out for them? I kind of remember watching this game played in the dome “at home” against a team from the WAC that has the 70th or so best recruiting classes and they blasted Georgia and had them patting their helmets for substitutions by the 2nd quarter? No?
Thomas Brown? Do I have that right?
ATLien
November 19th, 2012
8:25 am
The Bama and Tech trolls on this site never cease to amaze. Insect fans jealous of UGA and their football program, and the fact that their fans actually date girls instead of their World of Warcraft boyfriends. Bama fans jealous that UGA has running water on campus and no outhouses.
I do take heart that as much as it will uplift the Bulldog nation should things play out like we hope. But it will also drive the troll haters with no life absolutely bat poop insane. Whatever you do, don’t go near a comic store with any Georgia gear on should we win, might find yourself impaled with a Spock ear.
A RTR Hit-N-Run from ATL
November 19th, 2012
8:26 am
The stars have aligned for Gawga?
More like the whining to Slive has aligned for Gawga. Right up until you run into the buzzsaw that is
A RTR Hit-N-Run from ATL
November 19th, 2012
8:27 am
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA!
ROLLLLL TIDE ROLL!
A RTR Hit-N-Run from ATL
November 19th, 2012
8:29 am
Yes we’re very jealous of a lousy record against ranked teams, big blow out losses, inbred mascots that keep falling over dead and a school chant that requires you to bark like a dog.
That totally trumps winning National Championships and Heisman’s.
ATLien
November 19th, 2012
8:30 am
Ok, Bama schedules one out of conference team the last few years. Big deal, we schedule Tech every year. Except noone ever wants to count them as a quality out of conference opponent. Even Tech people say that UGA doesn’t play any good out of conference teams.
ATLien
November 19th, 2012
8:32 am
Yes, clearly you are jealous, otherwise you wouldn’t be on here wasting your wrassling watching time spewing ignorant hate on a blog for UGA.
A RTR Hit-N-Run from ATL
November 19th, 2012
8:32 am
If you’re interested, you can buy BCS National Championships apparel and merchandise from just about anywhere for our 2011 and 2009 championship years.
Sigh, you can even buy Auburn stuff for the Cam year.
How does that make you guys feel? Even Auburn won a national championship and UGA isn’t in the only year they’ll have gotten close? I bet that irks you more than having to see all of these Alabama “A” insignia’s and flags flying all over Atlanta.
Fair and Balanced
November 19th, 2012
8:34 am
Dogs, just play this game vs Tech! We have to play Tech the way we played FL! We have to play Tech as if there is no tomorrow, because if we lose to Tech, there really is no tomorrow. The D needs to play like the Tech 35 is the goal line. The O needs to play like they are 14 points behind! Step on their necks! GATA!
Beating Tech is never as satisfying as losing is awful! We always have more to lose than Tech does. It is always dangerous to play vs a team that has nothing to lose. Ga always comes out of the gate slow in these kinds of games. Always….. We showed signs of it vs Ole Miss and GA Southern. We almost lost to KY. This is the same team with the same players. We can lose to Tech if we don’t play with intensity. We need to play like we did vs FL. Forget about Bama. One week at a time. Everything is up to us now…….we have had all the help we need to get into this thing. The rest is up to the coaches, players and the Dawg Nation to get behind this team and keep ‘em pumped up Saturday.
A RTR Hit-N-Run from ATL
November 19th, 2012
8:34 am
@ATL
Even Tech people say that UGA doesn’t play any good out of conference teams.
^^^^ that’s funny.