In an era of flashy offenses and rules designed to make it tough on defenders, Saturday night's game between No. 5 Georgia and No. 3 Clemson was an anomaly. Two powerful defenses left two pretty good offenses looking impotent in the Bulldogs' 10-3 win over the Tigers. Naturally, the only touchdown was scored by the Georgia defense, which returned an interception for a score in the first half.
The result has had an impact on the College Football Playoff projections. Georgia now has an inside track to a spot in this season's CFP, while Clemson might not be able to recover from the loss. Of course, the Bulldogs still have a long way to go and must avoid being upset before a possible SEC Championship Game against No. 1 Alabama. If Georgia can enter that game at 12-0, it could be in a position to make the CFP, win or lose.
Clemson is not so lucky. The Tigers will still be heavily favored the rest of the way, but their schedule will lack the kind of quality opponents to get the CFP Selection Committee's attention. The only other ACC teams ranked in the Preseason AP Top 25 lost this week. No. 14 Miami fell to Alabama, and No. 10 North Carolina lost at unranked Virginia Tech.
If the teams behind Clemson beat each other up a little and nobody can beat No. 9 Notre Dame, it is possible that the Tigers could get through the season without a win over a team in the top 15. Regardless, Clemson will not finish ahead of Georgia in the rankings if both are 12-1.
Alabama still looks like the juggernaut we all expect them to be. No. 3 Ohio State was tested but came through at Minnesota on Thursday. No. 2 Oklahoma got a scare from Tulane but held on for a 40-35 win on Saturday. All three are still in the current CFP projection, now joined by Georgia. The first two out of the projected field are Texas A&M (fifth) and Clemson (sixth).
College Football Playoff
| Date | Game / Loc. | Matchup | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|
Jan. 10 | National Championship | Title game | Semifinal winners |
Dec. 31 | Orange Bowl | Semifinal | (1) Alabama vs. (4) Oklahoma |
Dec. 31 | Cotton Bowl | Semifinal | (2) Ohio State vs. (3) Georgia |
Jerry Palm's complete bowl projections will be available Monday afternoon.
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